A Colombian court has sentenced three FARC dissidents to prison for the ambush that killed seven police officers in rural Neiva in 2022. The attack, shortly after Gustavo Petro took office, aimed to pressure for benefits under the 'Total Peace' policy. The verdicts signal a stance against impunity.
The massacre took place in early September 2022, when a group of FARC dissidents led by alias 'Iván Mordisco' ambushed a police patrol on the road between Neiva, capital of Huila, and the San Luis corregimiento. The officers were attacked with explosives and rifle fire, killing intendentes Wilson Jair Cuéllar Losada and Luis Alberto Sabí Gutiérrez; patrulleros Duverney Carreño Rodríguez and Jhon Fredy Bautista Vargas; and auxiliares Santiago Gómez Endes, Cristian Ricardo Cubillos Borbón, and Arlex Mauricio Pascuas Figueroa.
Authorities' investigation identified several participants in the ambush, which aimed to create unrest and pressure for concessions under President Gustavo Petro's 'Total Peace' policy. Three have been convicted: Edwin Collo Dagua, alias 'Guajiro', to 27 years and 4 months in prison; José Eléicer Ramírez Castaño, alias 'Mauricio' or 'El Gordito', to 25 years and 10 months; and Claudia Daniela Jaramillo Obando, alias 'Juliana', to 23 years and 7 months.
While the sentences could have been harsher given the treacherous and horrific nature of the act, they mark progress against impunity for attacks on public forces. The event shocked Huila and the nation, signaling a turbulent start to the Petro era. Victims' families find solace in these verdicts, but authorities must intensify efforts to capture the remaining perpetrators and masterminds to achieve full justice.