A dose of fear seems to be running through the veins of the political elite in Colombia. Now, more than ever, people are starting to become worried not about the existence of the self-defense groups rather for the side effects of their elimination.

The country has recently heard from two congressmen who confess admiration for Salvatore Mancuso and “Don Berna” or “Adolfo Paz.” The confession was made without shame even though Mancuso has been tried five times and is being investigated in fifteen separate cases (three of which are for killings). Berna, with a long history in the Colombian underground, is wanted for kidnapping.

A high-ranking official resumed the crux of the problem: “The political ideas of the paramilitaries are more dangerous than their military project. The guerillas will eventually have to negotiate [with the government] because they are losing support from the public. The paramilitaries, on the other hand, are gaining ground with their political ideas that are disguised as democracy.”

Translation : C. Hancock