In Colombia, former soldiers accused of killing so-called “false positives”—civilians misrepresented as guerrillas—are now helping to recover the remains of their victims. In what has been described as an act of reconciliation amid the country’s internal armed conflict, military personnel convicted of murdering innocent civilians and presenting them as enemy combatants are working alongside victims’ families to reconstruct Colombia’s historical memory.
The search for bodies in mass graves today reaches even the cemeteries, where some of these victims were buried hastily, illegally and anonymously to erase a stubborn past of cruelty that they could not erase.
Former soldiers accused of ‘false positives’ participate in victim recovery in Colombia
In an effort to heal the wounds of the Colombian armed conflict, former soldiers convicted for their involvement in so-called “false positives” cases are actively collaborating in the recovery of war victims, as highlighted in a recent coverage by NPR. This act of reconciliation represents a significant step towards truth and reparation in a country scarred by decades of violence.
During the most intense years of the armed conflict in Colombia, particularly between 2002 and 2008 during the presidency of Alvaro Uribe, cases were documented where innocent civilians were murdered by members of the military and presented as combat casualties to inflate military success statistics. This phenomenon, known as “false positives,” left at least 6,402 victims, according to data from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP).
‘False positives’ and the exhumation of a harsh past in Colombia
In an unprecedented event, former soldiers who admitted responsibility for these crimes are collaborating in the recovery of their victims’ bodies.
In the city of Neiva, in the south of the country, three ex-military personnel participated in the exhumation of remains of civilians killed during the conflict. Dressed in protective suits, they worked alongside forensic experts to unearth and collect human remains, in an effort to provide the victims’ families with the possibility of giving them a dignified burial.
One of these ex-soldiers, a former lieutenant colonel who identified himself as Mario, confessed that under his command, 63 murders of civilians were committed who were later presented as guerrillas killed in combat.
Their participation in this work is part of an agreement with the JEP, which allows perpetrators of crimes to collaborate on truth and reparation in exchange for alternative sentences.
The JEP, established after the 2016 peace agreement with the former FARC guerrilla group, is the justice component of the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repetition.
Its aim is to investigate and judge the most serious crimes committed during the armed conflict, offering perpetrators the possibility of receiving reduced sentences if they contribute to the truth and reparation for victims.
In the case of the “false positives,” the JEP has charged several military personnel with war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the Antioquia department, for example, generals, officers, and non-commissioned officers of the Army were charged for their alleged responsibility in 442 extrajudicial executions.
Society and victim reactions
The participation of ex-soldiers in victim recovery has generated diverse reactions. For some families, this act represents a step towards reconciliation and the possibility of closing a painful chapter. However, other victims consider these actions insufficient and demand a complete and detailed truth about what happened.
Margarita Arteaga, one of the victims featured in a documentary on transitional justice, emphasizes the inadequacy of the confessions and the need for a full truth. The systematic practices of murder during the 2000s, fostered by military incentives, still leave survivors and their communities with deep wounds and a struggle for fair recognition and adequate reparation.
Beyond participation in exhumations, other initiatives to repair the damage caused have been implemented. For example, nearly fifty former Army members began participating in the “Siembras de vida” (Sowings of Life) program, which aims to redress environmental damage generated during the armed conflict.
Healing wounds on the long road to reconciliation
Similarly, memorial spaces have been inaugurated, such as the “6,402 Reasons Not to Forget” park in Bogota [6,402 is the official number of ‘false positive’ victims], which honors the victims of the “false positives” and seeks to keep the memory of these crimes alive to prevent their repetition.
The collaboration of ex-soldiers in the recovery of war victims in Colombia represents a significant effort towards reconciliation and the building of lasting peace.
While these actions do not erase the pain caused, they do offer an opportunity to advance truth, justice, and reparation – fundamental elements for healing the wounds of a conflict that deeply marked the country.
In this regard, Alejandro Ramelli, president of the JEP, states that “the message is very important because it is the first time in Colombia that criminals seek out victims in the cemeteries.”
Eight years ago, Colombia embarked on a long road towards necessary reconciliation, following the signing of peace and the disbandment of the FARC, until then the oldest and most powerful guerrilla group in Latin America.
The difficulties on that road are daunting, after decades of the brutality characteristic of internal armed conflicts, but Colombia today follows the example of other countries that, some time before, took the path of truth as the surest route towards definitive reconciliation.