Colombia’s military to export air force training to Latin America with US backing
Colombia’s military to export air force training to Latin America with US backing
Jul 24, 2014 posted by Christoffer Frendesen
A group of former AUC paramilitaries seek to form a political party comprised of ex-combatants of the paramilitary umbrella group, according to local media.
The party, which would be called “Aucpaz,” (Alliance of Colombian Unity for Peace) will attempt to bring ex-combatants of paramilitary groups into the public scene, and connect them to participation in various projects, according to Colombian newspaper El Espectador. The paramilitaries also seek to have a platform by which ex-paramilitaries can voice grievances or concerns.
Jaime Oviedo Avila, an ex-combatant and spokesperson for the Cacique Nutibara bloc of the AUC, was quoted in the Medellin-based El Colombiano newspaper as saying, “In every peace negotiation between the state and sectors of society at arms, there is a point to negotiate political participation.”
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The original organization, the AUC was formed by vigilante anti-guerrilla groups and defectors of Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel, leaving a trail of death and terror in its wake with its estimated 30,000 fighters. The group operated officially from 1997-2006.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/ex-paramilitaries-seek-form-political-party/