Colombian Court Sentences Ex-Paramilitary Leader Mancuso to 40 Years
A Colombian court has handed down a 40-year prison sentence to Salvatore Mancuso, a former paramilitary leader, for crimes targeting Indigenous communities in La Guajira province. The charges against Mancuso include homicides, forced disappearances, and the displacement of people between 2002 and 2006.
The special tribunal overseeing cases related to Colombia’s armed conflict held Mancuso accountable for 117 criminal acts carried out by his subordinates in La Guajira. However, the court noted that his sentence could be reduced to eight years if Mancuso participates in truth and reparation activities that aid the victims of his paramilitary group.
Colombia’s internal conflict, which has spanned several decades, has seen various peace negotiations with guerrilla and armed groups, most notably the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC, the largest guerrilla group.
Mancuso, aged 61, returned to Colombia in 2024 after serving a drug trafficking sentence in the United States. Despite multiple requests, he was not permitted to move to Italy, a country where he also holds citizenship, following his U.S. prison release. Mancuso was extradited to the U.S. in 2008.
In the late 1990s, Mancuso was a commander within the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary group established to protect landowners from Marxist rebels, including FARC.
According to a 2022 report by a truth commission, Colombia’s armed conflict resulted in at least 450,000 deaths between 1985 and 2018, affecting civilians, rebel fighters, soldiers, and paramilitary members alike. The AUC, under Mancuso’s command, managed to suppress rebel forces in certain rural areas but faced accusations of killing numerous innocent civilians.
The AUC began disarming in 2003 through an agreement with the Colombian government that offered reduced sentences to its leaders. Yet, the group was succeeded by other right-wing militias, such as the Gulf Clan, which continues to operate with an estimated 10,000 fighters.
Following his release from U.S. custody in February 2024, Mancuso was deported to Colombia, where he was detained for several months. He was released in July after the courts confirmed no pending sentences against him. Upon his return, Colombian President Gustavo Petro appointed Mancuso as a “peace facilitator,” enabling him to mediate negotiations with armed factions.
Currently, Colombia’s government is engaged in peace talks with the Gulf Clan. In December, an agreement was reached in Qatar, allowing the group’s fighters to reside in specially designated camps, where they are shielded from governmental prosecution while discussions are ongoing.
