BOGOTA/ISTANBUL 

The Colombian government has launched peace talks with Clan del Golfo, the country’s largest and most powerful criminal organization, said officials.

The talks began Thursday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, with the initial phase focused on building trust between the parties and implementing pilot projects in three regions where the group is most active.

Alvaro Jimenez, head of the government delegation, and Luis Armando Perez, representing Clan del Golfo, signed a joint statement formally declaring the start of what they called a “peace process.”

According to a communiqué released by the Peace Commission, the armed group pledged to respect the rights of civilians—especially children—as a first step toward “building peace.”

The statement emphasized adherence to international humanitarian law and included a guarantee that the group would not interfere in Colombia’s 2026 elections.

Local media reported that Clan del Golfo commands an estimated 6,000 to 9,000 armed members.

The group was responsible for a Feb. 17 attack on soldiers in a rural area of Segovia in the Antioquia department that killed four troops.

Colombian military operations in recent months have seized large quantities of cocaine and weapons belonging to the organization.

Clan del Golfo’s former leader, Dairo Antonio Usuga David, known as “Otoniel,” was captured on Oct. 23, 2021 in a rural area of Colombia's Uraba region located within Antioquia province in a massive operation codenamed Osiris.

The raid involved 22 helicopters and 650 police and military personnel.

Otoniel was later transferred from Bogota’s Dijin prison and extradited to the US, arriving at a federal facility in Brooklyn, New York aboard a private aircraft.