Leaders of a Colombian right-wing paramilitary faction believed to be one of the most heavily involved in drug trafficking demobilized their troops on Saturday and said they wanted to form a political party. Nearly 700 fighters in the "Southern Liberators" unit of the paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces turned in their weapons at a ceremony in Tamiango, some 310 miles southwest of the Colombian capital, Bogota.
Colombian officials say a three-way alliance between the militia, the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and the Norte del Valle cartel was responsible for 15.1 tons of cocaine worth $400 million that was seized by police in southwest Colombia in May — the largest haul ever in this South American country. "Now we want to form a political party and continue our struggle through political means instead of arms," the unit's commander, Julian Castano, told Caracol radio Saturday. He denied involvement in drug trafficking. Under a contentious peace deal, the government has granted reduced punishments and other concessions to warlords who demobilize their troops, confess their crimes and pay reparations to victims. Most militia leaders will likely never see the inside of a jail cell. |