08:30 PM
The leaders of the gangs of the Aburrá Valley, who a year ago formed a table with the National Government with which they sought to undertake an urban peace process, are now asking for clues so that the The government of Medellín joins these approaches.
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The request ended up being made public during a public congressional hearing held yesterday in Medellín, which was attended by congressmen, gang leaders, government dignitaries and local leaders to discuss the progress and problems that this initiative entails.
On behalf of the Medellín Council, one of the attendees was Councilor Claudia Carrasquilla, who revealed the unprecedented request: “They want the municipal administration, in this case me as a councilor and who chairs the accidental commission to monitor urban peace, Let us listen to them and understand the approach they have to provide a solution to the peace that is needed in Medellín. “I made it clear to them that I am not representing the mayor, that I am simply part of an accidental commission,” he said.
Although yesterday both the gang leaders and the representatives of the National Government expressed that their will for peace remains, the truth is that After a year of talks, no concrete agreement has yet been announced. and there is a feeling in the air that time has already begun to become a factor against us.
Although the points that have been discussed continue to be kept confidential, the main obstacle continues to be the lack of a legal framework that regulates the submission of leaders and which for now is nothing more than a bill.
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In the fine print of this discussion, issues such as the fate of the assets in the power of the subjugated leaders, how these will be used to compensate the victims and other more sensitive issues such as that of “Punto Final”, in the one in which leaders seek to have their cases united into one.
Jorge Mejía, one of the government facilitators who leads these approaches, took advantage of the day to take stock, maintaining that the will for dialogue remains firm.
For his part, Freiner Alfonso Ramírez García, alias Carlos Pesebre, pointed out that the structures continue with their intention to reach an agreement with the government after a year.
“Our balance is our acts of peace. The structures’ will for peace continues to be ratified. Although there have been obstacles with the issue of the high commissioner, there is a will that has also remained firm from the government.
Keep reading: This is how the peace rapprochement between the Government and Medellín gangs is going
We will continue with this, it is not an easy path,” said Ramírez García, adding that from this space they seek to get more political sectors to join the process. This reading was shared by other leaders who went to the meeting, as was the case of Sebastián Murillo Echeverry, alias Lindolfo.
Although Councilwoman Carrasquilla remained cautious when referring to the fate of the gang leaders’ request, this path already appears to be uphill, given that one of the most critical voices precisely to these approaches has been Mayor Federico Gutiérrez.
On March 10, in dialogue with EL COLOMBIANO, Gutiérrez proposed that these dialogues could be a door for these illegal structures to strengthen.
“We are swimming in drugs throughout the country and Medellín is no exception, because we must take into account the criminal map of the country. These structures that are based in the metropolitan area are not simple gangs, they are organized crime structures, inherited from the time of Pablo Escobar. Criminal structures must be beaten, prosecuted, and domain forfeiture must be applied. Captures are not enough, we must reduce them financially, because the greater the financial power, the greater the military power,” said the mayor.
