Former Colombian leader apologizes for civilian killings | Armed Groups News

Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos apologized on Friday for extraterrestrial murders committed by the country’s armed forces during his time as defense minister for thousands of people.

Santos, who signed in 2016 peace agreement He set up a commission with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to witness a “false positives” scandal involving the Colombian truth commission when soldiers killed civilians and registered them as dead fighters in the fight for prizes.

The country’s transitional justice court said at least 6,402 people they were killed and falsely presented as rebels between 2002 and 2008 during the tenure of former President Alvaro Uribe. Some groups of victims say the figure may be higher.

Santos was Uribe’s defense minister for nearly three years between 2006 and 2009, and was in office when the killings were discovered.

“The chapter on false positives is one of the most painful moments I have ever experienced in my public life and it is an indelible stain on the honor of the army,” Santos said, adding that he regrets that mothers practically lost children in their time. time as a minister.

He said the pressure to create large numbers of murders backed by Uribe was to blame, and the military should apologize.

“This was never supposed to happen,” Santos said. “I acknowledge that and apologize from the bottom of my soul to all mothers and their relatives who are victims of this terror.”

Santos said he did not believe them when he first heard rumors of the killings.

When it became clear that the rumors were true, Santos said he had given orders to privilege demobilization and capture, changed protocols for managing combat deaths, and changed the criteria for awarding medals.

Santos said he was impressed by the results of an internal investigation.

“Perhaps I had never felt so strongly combined with anger and intense pain, with such deep sadness.”

He said dozens of military officials were removed, and changes to the protocol led to a huge drop in killings by the army.

Victims include False Positive Mothers Colombia earlier he had asked Santo to apologize.

“Today, we expect little from you. [Santos] actually. Apologize to all the mothers Uribe took, [Former Colombian National Army General Mario Montoya] and yourself. You can change history today. The memory of our children is true, ”the group tweeted.

We expect a little from you today. @JuanManSantos Actually. We apologize to every mother who has taken away her children from Uribe, Montoya and you. Today can really change history. The memory of our children is true. https://t.co/dhyZH6ZNc8

– False positive mothers in Colombia (@MAFAPOCOLOMBIA) June 11, 2021

Dozens of army officials have been arrested and convicted of involvement in the killings.

2016 peace agreement FARC fighters Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize and saw the demobilization of about 13,000 FARC members.

Also the heads of the FARC approved in April they considered the kidnapping policies “justifiable”. Approximately 21,396 people were abducted or abducted by the FARC between 1990 and 2015, according to data from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a court that oversees the peace process between the FARC and the Colombian state.

The JEP accused former FARC commanders war crimes in January.

The conflict between the Colombian government and the insurgent armed forces, including the FARC, lasted 50 years and left 260,000 dead and millions displaced.

Former FARC fighters and social activists march to demand the government’s right to life and a guarantee of compliance with the 2016 peace agreement in Bogota, Colombia, on November 1, 2020 [File: Fernando Vergara/AP Photo]

Santos is the third former president to contribute to the commission that ends his term this year.

It is unclear whether Uribe – who was vehemently opposed to the peace deal – will finally testify.

Right-wing President Ivan Duque, who took office in 2018, has also spoken out against the deal. Some FARC fighters have continued to fight the government, creating clashes and deaths and abolishing the peace agreement.

Former FARC commander and head of the Communes, name accepted by the group after becoming a political party, sent an open letter To the U.S. Congress in March, asking for help saving the peace plan.