Colombia’s government has announced this Friday the closure of various dialogue mechanisms and temporary security zones established during the previous administration, marking a shift in the country’s security policy.

The far-right Colombian government has announced the closure of several dialogue mechanisms and temporary security zones established during the previous administration of Gustavo Petro (2022-2026), reflecting a decisive pivot towards a more militarized approach to governance.

This decision marks a significant shift in the country’s security policy, replacing the previous government’s “total peace” strategy with a security doctrine built around submission to justice and military force, a move that has sparked significant debate among analysts and civil society.

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The decision comes after the government assessed that these tables had not shown any concrete progress in achieving peace, disarmament, or the submission of these groups to justice, prompting a reevaluation of strategies aimed at restoring order.

“The false peace is over,” De la Espriella stated, framing the move as the fulfillment of a campaign pledge. Under the new policy, members of armed groups will no longer receive political recognition and the government’s alternative is submission to justice, backed by the threat of military and police action against those who refuse.

Many experts are concerned that this approach may lead to increased violence in the short term, as armed groups react defensively to the government’s crackdown. Some community leaders have expressed fears that civilians could become collateral damage in the efforts to reclaim territories.

El Gobierno nacional da por finalizados todos los procesos de diálogo y espacios sociojurídicos y de la falsa paz. pic.twitter.com/3iLOELTaU6

— Presidencia Colombia (@infopresidencia) September 11, 2026

Text reads: “The national government finalizes all processes of dialogue and socio-legal spaces and false peace.” The government has reiterated its commitment to restoring authority in regions plagued by violence.

Peace Process Dismantled

The closure affects various dialogue tables, socio-legal spaces, and territorial mechanisms created to facilitate conversations with armed organizations.

The decision reaches well beyond the National Liberation Army (ELN), the General Staff of the Blocs Magdalena Medio -led by commanders Gentil Duarte and Jorge Suárez Briceño’s Frente Raúl Reyes- and the National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army and the Southern Communal Guerrilla Front, indicating the government’s all-encompassing strategy against violence.

Additionally, the Colombian government has decided to lift the Temporary Location Zone of the Valle del Guamuez, another instrument used to support these negotiations, suggesting a complete overhaul of how the government engages with these groups.

De la Espriella also justified the measure according to the financial cost of the negotiation apparatus built over the prior government’s four years in office. Following him, over 7,000 million Colombian pesos (equivalent to approximately 2.27 million dollars), were spent on honorariums for spokespeople, representatives, and negotiators, a figure does not include other costs assumed by the State, such as security schemes, displacements, per diems, or the zones enabled for these processes.

In this sense, the government argues that the continuation of these negotiation mechanisms is not justified when the armed organizations maintain their structures and continue to carry out alleged violent actions, highlighting the urgent need for a tactical shift in policy. Instead, the alternative proposed by De la Espriella administration is for these groups to submit to the justice system as per Colombian law, making it clear that those who continue their armed activities will face the deployment of military forces and police to regain territorial control, a promise that resonates with many citizens tired of violence.

The Colombian presidency had already announced the termination of several dialogue processes in late August, citing a lack of a “real and verifiable” will for peace from some participating organizations.

One of the cases that shatters the presidential narrative is the Border Commands, a group that is part of the National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army (CNEB), whose members advanced during the Petro’s government in a disarmament process that led 99 of its members to concentrate last June in a Temporary Location Zone (ZUT) in the municipality of Valle del Guamuez, in the department of Putumayo, on the border with Ecuador. This space had been created precisely to facilitate the transition of the members of the organization into civilian life and had mechanisms for monitoring and institutional support, but De la Espriella ordered its closure through the Resolution 389/2026, with September 30 as the deadline for its clearing.

Putumayo’s case contrasts with the general decision announced this Friday, which responds to the new government’s assessment that the dialogue processes and legacy mechanisms “did not produce sufficient progress” on peace, disarmament or submission to justice.

The decision to close these dialogue avenues opens a new phase in Colombia’s security policy, characterized by increased police and military pressure on armed organizations and the abandonment of the negotiation model developed over the past years, potentially leading to a more volatile situation. The long-term implications of this shift remain uncertain, as stakeholders from various sectors of society are divided on the effectiveness of force versus dialogue in achieving lasting peace.

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