The Peace That Cost Millions Left a War Unresolved and an Unfinished Bill for De La Espriella
Colombia is not only shutting down negotiation tables. It is also taking stock of the bill. Four years after Gustavo Petro’s government launched what it called “Total Peace” as a strategy to engage simultaneously with guerrillas, dissident factions and criminal organizations, the country now faces an uncomfortable question: How much public money was spent sustaining […]
Colombia has been questioning whether the billions spent on peace talks yielded enough results. After four years of "Total Peace" strategy, President Abelardo De La Espriella now faces criticism over the expenditure and outcomes. The financial breakdown shows that around US$40.6 million (COP 125.174 billion) was spent on political negotiations and socio-legal talks between August 2022 and June 2026.
This includes significant amounts allocated to air travel, protection schemes, fees, logistics, civil society participation, and the National Participation Committee for the ELN. However, most processes failed to produce final agreements, and several armed groups remained active. De La Espriella argues that the expenditure was not proportionate to the results, questioning the previous government's ability to establish benchmarks and evaluation mechanisms for the peace process.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
