Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella speaks during the change of command ceremony for the new military leadership in Bogota, Colombia, on Wednesday. De la Espriella called on the new military leadership to restore security and combat armed groups. Photo by Mauricio Duenas Castaneda/EPA
Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the definitive end of the "Total Peace" strategy implemented by his predecessor, Gustavo Petro.
As part of the shift in the country's security policy, De la Espriella on Wednesday also ended previous legal protections and signed orders to extradite five leaders of criminal and guerrilla groups to the United States.
Their extraditions had been suspended because they served as representatives or negotiators in peace talks established by the Petro administration.
"From the first day, I was clear: Peace cannot be a refuge for criminals or a mechanism for impunity," De la Espriella wrote on X.
