Petro's “Paz Total” — Colombia's Peace Agenda Since 2022

Political context

Gustavo Petro, a former M-19 guerrilla and mayor of Bogotá, has been in office as Colombia's first left-wing president since August 7, 2022. His central security-policy agenda is called Paz Total (“total peace”) — the attempt to reach negotiated solutions simultaneously with all remaining armed groups (ELN, FARC dissidents, AGC, urban gangs).

Decreto of August 20, 2022

On August 20, 2022, the Petro government ordered by decree the suspension of arrest and extradition warrants against ELN peace negotiators — a precondition for their safe travel to and participation in the negotiations. The decree applies a practice already established during the peace process with the FARC (the so-called gestor de paz status).

Legal framework: Ley 2272/2022

The statutory framework was created by Ley 2272 of November 4, 2022, which extended its predecessor, Ley 418/1997. It distinguishes between “structures of a political character” (politically armed groups) and “structures with a high criminal impact” (gangs, cartels). Different modes of negotiation are provided for each.

Consequences for extradition law

Extradition requests from third states (including German ones) to Colombia may be suspended or modified where there is gestor de paz status or JEP protection. The temporal scope of the suspension depends on the success or failure of the negotiations — a situation that calls for attention in the defense: anyone who has fled to Colombia and joined a “structure” negotiation may enjoy time-limited protection from extradition. After the ELN talks were suspended in January 2025, the arrest warrants against the ELN negotiators were reactivated — to that extent, the protection from extradition under the 2022 decree has lapsed.

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