‘Timochenko’ Urges De la Espriella to Uphold 2016 Peace Agreement

Former FARC commander Rodrigo Londoño, known by his alias “Timochenko,” returned to Colombia over the weekend and appeared Tuesday before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), ending days of speculation that he might remain in Spain following threats by President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella to seek his imprisonment for life over crimes committed during Colombia’s internal conflict.

Londoño’s appearance before the transitional justice tribunal came on the deadline established by the JEP after it authorized his travel to Madrid between June 22 and July 11. The court had stipulated that the former guerrilla commander was required to present himself in person before the tribunal’s Judicial Secretariat no later than July 14, a condition he fulfilled upon his return.

Questions over whether Londoño would come back intensified after comments he made to Blu Radio suggesting he was weighing whether it was safe to return, following increasingly confrontational statements from De la Espriella since his election victory.

The president-elect has made dismantling key pillars of Colombia’s post-conflict framework a central theme of his incoming administration. During his third national address on social media since winning the presidency on June 21, De la Espriella announced plans to eliminate the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, begin dismantling what he described as “structures of impunity” created under former President Gustavo Petro’s Total Peace policy, and overhaul the Special Jurisdiction for Peace established under the 2016 peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Londoño became the principal target of that criticism.

“That bandit Timochenko deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, and I am going to work toward that,” De la Espriella declared.

He argued that “no apparent legal formalism can hide the fact that the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the FARC leadership remain unpunished,” while accusing the JEP of protecting political allies of the outgoing administration.

The remarks marked one of the strongest public challenges yet to Colombia’s transitional justice system, which forms part of the 2016 peace agreement negotiated under former President Juan Manuel Santos and has constitutional protection as well as backing from the United Nations Security Council.

By returning to Bogotá and appearing before the JEP, Londoño appeared intent on reinforcing his commitment to the peace accord despite mounting political pressure.

Following his appearance before the tribunal, the president of the Comunes Party reaffirmed that former FARC members remain committed to fulfilling every obligation under the agreement, including contributing to truth, reparations and national reconciliation.

“If I have to become the 501st peace signatory to be assassinated, then let death come,” Londoño said in a video message while holding a white flag symbolizing peace. “We are convinced that more than 12 million Colombians will carry this banner that we have upheld with pride and without regret.”

Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned about the continued killings of former guerrillas who laid down their arms after the peace agreement. More than 500 former combatants have been killed since the accord was signed in November 2016, making their security one of the most persistent challenges facing the implementation process.

Londoño insisted that the former guerrilla has honored every commitment undertaken nearly a decade ago. “We are fulfilling our commitments to Colombia and to the international community,” he said. “We continue contributing to truth, reparations and reconciliation.”

Letter to the President-elect

Coinciding with his return, Londoño released an open letter addressed to De la Espriella, congratulating him on his election while urging the incoming administration to respect the peace agreement as a binding obligation of the Colombian state.

The former FARC commander acknowledged their profound ideological differences but argued that peaceful democratic coexistence depends on dialogue rather than confrontation.

“We occupy a different ideological and political position from yours,” Londoño wrote. “That is natural in a democracy. It does not mean we cannot coexist and engage in civilized dialogue about our differences. That, precisely, is what peace is about.”

He reminded the president-elect that the Final Peace Agreement forms part of Colombia’s constitutional framework and is supported by resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, making it an international commitment that transcends individual governments.

Londoño also expressed the former FARC leadership’s willingness to engage with the incoming administration to advance implementation of the accord while reaffirming what he described as an “unwavering commitment” to honoring the agreement signed at Bogotá’s Teatro Colón on November 24, 2016.

“In return,” he wrote, “we hope the Colombian State will honor its own commitments with the same honesty and transparency that those of us who reincorporated into civilian life have demonstrated, beginning with guaranteeing our right to life and providing the political and security guarantees established in the Peace Agreement.”

Londoño’s return removes immediate uncertainty over his compliance with the JEP’s conditions but opens what is likely to become one of the first major constitutional and political confrontations facing De la Espriella after he takes the oath of office on August 7 at a military garrison in southwest Colombia.