Analysts have warned that the US designation of the EGC as a “terrorist” could escalate violence in Colombia and impede peace talks.
BOGOTA, Colombia – The U.S. State Department has designated Colombia’s largest criminal organization, the Colombian Gaitanist Forces (EGC), a “terrorist organization.”
EGC, also known as Cran del Golfo, has locations throughout Colombia and is known for its involvement in drug trafficking, illegal mining, and extortion.
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“Today, the State Department is designating Cran del Golfo as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT),” a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio released Tuesday morning read.
“The Colombian-based Cran del Golfo is a violent and powerful criminal organization with thousands of members and is responsible for terrorist attacks against Colombian civil servants, law enforcement, military personnel, and civilians,” the communiqué continued.
Last year, the Biden administration imposed financial sanctions on EGC executives, but stopped short of designating it a terrorist organization.
The US government had previously designated other active Colombian armed groups as FTOs, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents.
Under the FTO designation, U.S. courts can sanction individuals or organizations deemed to be providing support to or associated with the EGC.
Analysts said the move would increase the chances of severing the group’s ties with private companies.
“This is an organization that has deep tentacles in the business world,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, deputy director for Latin America at the International Crisis Group, adding: “It opens the door to some interesting areas of investigation, for example money laundering, facilitation and logistics.”
But experts also warn that Washington’s actions could undermine ongoing peace negotiations between the EGC and the Colombian state, brokered by the Qatari government. On December 5, Colombia signed an agreement in Doha with the EGC to begin a peace process aimed at disarming the EGC.
“The designation of the EGC and its chain of command as terrorists makes it almost impossible to continue these talks abroad while ensuring security,” said Gerson Arias, a conflict and security researcher at the Colombian think tank Ideas for Peace Foundation.
He added that this would complicate discussions about extradition, a key issue in the ongoing negotiations. Arias said the FTO designation effectively eliminates the possibility of the Colombian state providing guarantees that EGC leaders will not be extradited to U.S. prisons.
The group’s chief negotiator, Álvaro Jiménez, told Reuters last week that the group’s commanders would likely face prison terms in a potential deal, raising the stakes for a non-extradition bond.
Crisis Group’s Dickinson said the breakdown in negotiations could lead to an escalation of hostilities between the country and the EGC: “If the peace talks end, I think it will lead to an escalation of violence, particularly across the north of the country.”
Earlier this year, the EGC killed dozens of state security officials in targeted operations.
However, Dickinson emphasized that the FTO designation would not impede peace negotiations, citing the success of the 2016 agreement with the FARC, which was then a US-designated FTO.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves now…The important thing is that Colombia has to take a step back and decide how to proceed with the negotiations,” the analyst told Al Jazeera.
