The Colombian government lacks the legal framework to demobilize armed groups, so cannot move forward with peace negotiations, said the presidential security adviser Wednesday.
Sergio Jaramillo, the Senior Presidential Adviser on National Security, said, “We think that without this constitutional foundation, it will not be possible to fully implement a strategy for transitional justice in Colombia, or put an end to the internal armed conflict.”
He added that if illegal armed groups like the FARC decide to surrender, “We wouldn’t be able to legally respond to this demobilization.”
Alejandro Eder, a presidential adviser on the reintegration of combatants into soceity, echoed Jaramillo’s argument, saying, “Due to the legal instability that the reintegration process has suffered, we are facing a great challenge to achieve peace in Colombia.”
Eder explained that the legal uncertainty surrounding the demobilization process has forced members of illegal groups to hide out because there is no way to guarantee that if they surrender they won’t face jail time.
“We must understand that if what we want is a peaceful Colombia, the cost of peace is high — and we should pay it,” Eder asserted.
