Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has released an agreement made between the State and most of the country’s paramilitary groups. While peace negotiations are lauded by critics as a step in the right direction, many find major faults in the agreement. This deal grants large areas of Colombia to armed right-wing militias, and suggests that prison terms will be avoided when sentencing paramilitary fighters for “atrocious crimes.” Many have alleged and some confirmed that significant links exist between the Colombian government and the paramilitary forces, which terrorize indigenous communities, farmers, and unionists.
