Colombian  President Abelardo De la Espriella has terminated peace dialogues with the Comuneros del Sur ELN dissidents and the Medellín-based “Paisa combos,” while directing his administration to appeal a judicial order that would restrict aerial bombings when children are present at the target sites.

The Executive withdrew its appointed negotiators and revoked the spokesperson status for members of both groups. For Comuneros del Sur—which had signed a roadmap in 2024 and already completed an initial disarmament and weapons destruction phase—the outlook shifted entirely when its current leader was captured and subsequently prioritized for extradition to the United States.

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Regarding the Paisa combos, the dialogue closure follows the recent transfer of 117 ringleaders to high-security prisons, including chiefs from structures in Medellín, the Aburrá Valley, and eastern Antioquia, among them those known by the aliases “Carlos Pesebre,” “Douglas,” and “El Indio.” These moves add to the prior termination of talks with the dissident factions of alias “Calarcá,” Comandos de la Frontera, and the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (Acsn), consolidating a broader pivot away from the processes formerly part of the total peace policy.

The appeal targets a ruling by Bogotá’s 34th Family Court, which ordered the state to abstain from bombings if there are “reasonably verifiable” indications of recruited children or adolescents among the objectives. Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara questioned the ambiguity of that legal standard, arguing that such an open threshold materially prevents the use of air force against criminal organizations. The judicial measure will remain in effect while the court reaches a final decision on the matter.

The controversy stems from Operation Amón in Guaviare, carried out against the “Calarcá” dissidents, which left ten people dead, including three minors. Despite the resulting criticism, the President and the Defense Minister have backed the military operation, contending that legal and ethical responsibility falls on the armed groups themselves for engaging in illegal recruitment—a violation of International Humanitarian Law.

According to the Ombudsman’s Office, 1,173 cases of such illicit recruitment were reported between 2024 and July 2026. To date, the current Administration has conducted three aerial bombings: the first in Catatumbo (Norte de Santander), which killed two ELN members; the second in El Retorno (Guaviare); and the most recent, Operation Azarías, carried out in Miraflores (Guaviare) against the dissident faction of alias “Mordisco,” which resulted in 20 dissidents dead and two minors recovered.

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