Colombia, Clan del Golfo armed group ink 'Commitment to Peace' in Qatar
The AGC is considered the largest illegal armed group in Colombia, with around 7,500 militants.
Qatar has said that the Colombian government and the Clan del Golfo, also known by its self-designated name Gaitanista Army or AGC armed group, signed a “Commitment to Peace” in Doha.
In a joint statement on Friday, the Group of Facilitating States – Qatar, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland – said the signing “reflects compromise, responsibility, and commitment to alleviate the conditions for the civilian population and end armed conflict.”
The declaration constitutes “a step towards the demobilisation of the self-designated AGC and peacebuilding,” it added.
The four countries cautioned that the path ahead will remain difficult.
“There will be many hurdles and challenges to overcome.”
The mediators emphasised that implementing the commitments reached so far will require “sustained discipline, transparency, and trust” and expressed readiness to work with the civil society, Colombian institutions, and international partners “in supporting this process and helping ensure its success.”
Peace process
The mediators explained that the commitment signed by the two parties worked on two tracks.
The first would deal with drug production and the recruitment of adolescents and children from the Clan del Golfo across 15 designated territories.
The second track is to reintegrate child soldiers into society.
Doha hosted the first round of negotiations between the two sides on September 14-18, and the parties agreed to hold another round in the Qatari capital, according to Qatari media.
Alvaro Jimenez, head of the government delegation, and Luis Armando Perez, representing Clan del Golfo, signed a joint statement formally declaring the start of what they called a “peace process”.
The AGC is considered the largest illegal armed group in Colombia following the historic 2016 peace agreement with the now-dissolved Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
It is estimated to have around 7,500 militants and represents one of the main security challenges facing the country’s government.
Demobilisation
Since his election in 2022, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has sought to negotiate disarmament and demobilisation with various armed groups.
Colombian military operations seized large quantities of cocaine and weapons belonging to the organisation.
Clan del Golfo’s former leader, Dairo Antonio Usuga David, known as “Otoniel,” was captured on October 23, 2021, in a rural area of Colombia's Uraba region, located within Antioquia province, in a massive operation codenamed Osiris.
The raid involved 22 helicopters and 650 police and military personnel.
Otoniel was later transferred from Bogota’s Dijin prison and extradited to the US, arriving at a federal facility in Brooklyn, New York, aboard a private aircraft.