The Colombian government revokes the appointment of Salvatore Mancuso as peace manager

The government of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has revoked the appointment of Salvatore Mancuso as "peace manager", a position that the former commander of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (Auc) had received in 2023 during the government of Gustavo Petro.

The decision is contained in resolution 429 of 21 September, signed by the president, and is based on the constitutional and legislative prerogatives of the head of state in the management of peace policy and the protection of public order.

Mancuso had been designated with resolution 244 of August 2023 to contribute, thanks to his knowledge of the former paramilitary organization, to the processes of collective disarmament of illegal armed groups.

The provision recalls that Mancuso had collectively demobilized in December 2004 and that, in the meetings with the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace between 2022 and 2023, he had expressed his willingness to contribute to the search for the truth about the conflict and to the policy of "total peace".

The new resolution directs the Office of the Peace Counselor to communicate the revocation to the relevant authorities.