The government of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has introduced a bill in Congress on surrendering to the justice system that seeks to replace the Total Peace policy promoted by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
The initiative proposes a fundamental shift in the strategy toward guerrillas, criminal organizations and armed groups by prioritizing disarmament, the surrender of assets and cooperation with authorities over any possibility of political negotiations.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara and Justice Minister Ivan Cancino introduced and explained the bill on Tuesday, with the aim of establishing a legal framework for members of illegal armed groups to lay down their weapons and submit to the justice system.
The proposal marks a shift in the country’s security policy: the government seeks to close the door to political negotiations with illegal armed groups and establish that those who refuse to accept the terms of surrender will face action by the security forces.
Colombia’s new surrender law targets armed groups
The main difference from Petro’s Total Peace policy lies in the nature of the mechanism. The previous administration sought to pursue simultaneous talks with various armed organizations, including guerrillas with political motivations and groups primarily involved in drug trafficking and other illegal economies. The new government believes that strategy failed to produce sufficient results in curbing the expansion of these organizations.
The bill establishes a common framework for organized armed groups — which the text refers to as “illegal armed or terrorist actors” — and criminal gangs. Rather than opening separate political negotiations, it stipulates that organizations seeking to join the process must accept the conditions established by the state.
Minister Cancino said there would be very limited room for negotiations. The procedure provides for initial contact with the organizations through their lawyers but eliminates the negotiators and government delegates who characterized previous dialogue processes.
The proposal therefore does not mean the government is abandoning all communication with illegal groups. The fundamental difference is that such contact will be aimed at securing their surrender to the justice system, not negotiating their political objectives or granting them a status that would allow peace talks to proceed under the terms of the previous administration.
Reduced sentences in exchange for cooperation
One of the bill’s main incentives is the possibility of sentence reductions of up to 50% for members of organizations that meet the established conditions. These benefits will be tied to providing relevant information, helping clarify crimes and cooperating effectively with the authorities.
The contributions covered by the proposal include identifying drug-trafficking routes, dismantling drug laboratories, manually eradicating illicit crops and carrying out demining operations. The initiative also provides benefits for those who supply information about corruption networks, including possible links between criminal organizations and politicians or irregularities in public procurement.
The process requires concrete commitments. Once the conditions are accepted, organizations will have a maximum of three months to fulfill them and proceed to the judicial phase. Requirements include disarmament, the surrender of assets and measures to facilitate the reintegration of recruited minors.
The government also proposes that seized resources and assets be used exclusively to compensate victims, without granting those responsible any percentage of the proceeds in return. In addition, it envisages sentence-serving arrangements in correctional facilities focused on productive activities and training.
Victims and security at the heart of the new law for combating armed groups
Protecting victims is another key pillar of the proposal. Their participation will carry weight in decisions regarding potential judicial benefits, including parole, which would be subject to compliance with legal requirements, the convicted person’s conduct and the conditions established in the bill.
The initiative also stipulates that arrest warrants and extradition requests will not be suspended while authorities determine whether an organization decides to surrender. In this way, the executive branch seeks to prevent the prospect of entering the process from becoming an opportunity to evade judicial or military action.
The reform’s scope is significant in a country where guerrillas, dissident factions of the former FARC and organizations involved in drug trafficking and extortion operate. Applying a common framework to groups with different origins, capabilities and objectives will be one of the policy’s main challenges.
The bill’s introduction opens a new chapter in Colombia’s debate over how to confront illegal armed groups. The government argues that the priority must be to regain territorial control and dismantle criminal economies, while the previous model sought to combine dialogue with security measures and social transformation.
The initiative must now pass through the legislative process before becoming law, a seemingly assured outcome given that the government has a majority in both chambers to secure its passage.
A new legal framework to confront 29,000 armed individuals
Recent reports estimate that nearly 172 structures operating under the umbrella of around 10 armed groups are active in Colombia. The Gulf Clan is the largest, with 10,602 members, according to data from the Ideas for Peace Foundation published in August and cited in the bill.
It is followed by the ELN, with 7,123 members; the Central General Staff, led by alias Ivan Mordisco, with up to 4,480; and the National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army, a splinter faction of the Second Marquetalia, with up to 2,359.
Urban armed groups also operate in Buenaventura, Quibdo and the Aburra Valley, alongside the Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada. Although PARES maintains that Petro’s Total Peace policy did not drive the growth of these groups between 2022 and 2025, it also failed to stop their expansion.
Currently, around 29,000 members could qualify for the new measures, which the government is proposing as the cornerstone of its fight against organized crime. The results will become clear over the next four years.