A paramilitary warlord and about 2,000 right-wing fighters were to lay down their weapons in exchange for amnesty yesterday in one of Colombia's largest disarmament ceremonies in years, officials said.
Paramilitary factions have been demobilizing since 2003 as part of a peace deal brokered by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that aims to dissolve the outlawed United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, by early next year. The AUC once had 20,000 fighters; by today, about 13,000 will have formally disarmed.
On Sunday, camouflage-clad members of the AUC's Central Bolivar Bloc gathered at a ranch in the mountains of northwest Colombia, lining up to show identification cards and start collecting a temporary monthly stipend of US$180 as part of the peace deal.
The disarmament ceremony comes after a human rights group accused another paramilitary faction of killing at least five civilians last week in remote northern villages.
The Minga Association for Promoting Social Alternatives said at least five bodies were taken to a morgue and that residents reported about 20 slain. Military spokespeople said they were investigating the report but could not confirm it.
Paramilitary leader Carlos Jimenez, alias "Macaco," and his fighters were to give up their weapons and two helicopters in the cattle-ranching town of Otu, 260km north of Bogota.
The Central Bolivar faction is among Colombia's most powerful, and authorities say Jimenez is closely linked to the powerful Norte Del Valle drug cartel.
Critics say he is one of several commanders who bought his way into the AUC with drug money, seeking to benefit from the peace process and avoid extradition to the US on possible drug charges.
By demobilizing, paramilitary leaders are given sharply reduced prison sentences for crimes they may have committed, including massacres of civilians.
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