Colombia’s Gaitanist Army of Colombia (EGC), also known as the Clan del Golfo (Gulf Clan), announced they will suspend their “war tax” from July 10 to October 10 across several municipalities in the departments of Antioquia and Córdoba.
In a Tuesday statement made through its Roberto Vargas Gutierrez Bloc, the group described the move as “a message of goodwill” toward President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.
De la Espriella, a populist right wing candidate and former criminal defense lawyer with ties to the now-defunct AUC paramilitary group, won runoff elections on June 21 by less than a 1% margin against leftist Senator Iván Cepeda.
The EGC’s statement also said the message was directed to Córdoba Governor Erasmo Zuleta Bechara, the mediating countries, and the international facilitators involved in the peace process.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the agreements reached at the dialogue table and our willingness to pursue a negotiated solution to the conflict,” the statement read.
The EGC entered formal peace talks with the Colombian government in September 2025 and briefly suspended talks in February of this year before re-starting them that same month.
Outgoing President Gustavo Petro, as part of his “Total Peace” plan, has sought to negotiate and disarm Colombia’s various illegal armed groups, to little success.
The EGC emphasized that the suspension will apply only in the “specified areas,” meaning the municipalities listed in the statement. As of this year, the Ombudsman’s Office reported that the EGC is present in 468 municipalities.
The group also instructed the fronts operating in those municipalities, along with their administrative leadership, to comply with the provisions outlined in the statement.
“We also reiterate our invitation for the incoming government to appoint observers to accompany and witness firsthand the progress of the dialogue process. We have nothing to hide and much to show regarding what has been built,” the statement concluded.
The president-elect ran his campaign on a promise of a hardline approach against armed groups.
De la Espriella had already issued an ultimatum to the armed groups on June 25, giving them one month to “organize its submission to the rule of law,” warning that in his administration “there will be no generous offers or unacceptable concessions.”
In response, according to newspaper El Espectador, the EGC sent a letter reiterating its willingness to maintain a dialogue table:
“We recognize your legitimate interest in transforming the informal economies present in the territories where the Gaitanista Army of Colombia (EGC) has a presence, and we invite you to join us as partners in building the country and achieving meaningful territorial transformation.”
Featured image: Screenshot of video of combatants from the Gaitanist Army of Colombia (EGC)
Image credit: @soygaitanista via X.
