US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA9702

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 BOGOTA 009702 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2014 
TAGS: PTER, SNAR, KJUS, PINR, PHUM, CO, AUC 
SUBJECT: WHO ARE THE PARAMILITARY COMMANDERS? 
 
REF: BOGOTA 9519 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Milton K. Drucker for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (C) Paramilitary groups participating in peace talks in 
Santa Fe de Ralito submitted a list to the OAS of their 
14-member negotiating team and 19 commanders who are present 
in the concentration zone.  The largest paramilitary group 
represented in the zone is the AUC, which is commanded by 
three national leaders and several powerful regional 
commanders.  The next largest group is the BCB, which has 
five commanders in the zone.  Several independent groups 
participating in the negotiations have one or two commanders 
in the zone.  At least four of commanders present in the zone 
are under indictment in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. 
 Three small paramilitary groups remain outside of the 
process.  End Summary. 
 
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OAS Receives List 
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2. (C) In late August, United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia 
(AUC) paramilitaries involved in peace talks with the GOC in 
Santa Fe de Ralito, Cordoba Department, submitted a list to 
the OAS verification mission of commanders who were in the 
concentration zone.  The OAS mission provided Embassy with a 
copy.  Using the names and order listed by the AUC, the 
commanders are: 
 
Javier Montanez, BCB Military Commander 
 
Victor Triana Botalon, independent paramilitary commander in 
Boyaca Department, loosely affiliated with the AUC 
 
Ernesto Baez de la Serna, BCB Political Commander 
 
Luis Cifuentes, Self-Defense Forces of Cundinamarca Commander 
 
Julian Bolivar, BCB Operations Chief 
 
Hernan Hernandez, AUC Calima Bloc Commander 
 
Guillermo Torres, Self-Defense Forces of Meta and Vichada 
Commander 
 
Pablo Sevillano, BCB Liberators of the South Bloc Commander 
 
Miguel Arroyave, AUC Centauros Bloc Commander (died September 
19, see reftel) 
 
Pablo Mejia, BCB Vencedores of Arauca Commander 
 
Ramiro Vanoy, AUC Mineros Bloc Commander 
 
Salvatore Mancuso, Chief of the AUC Central Command ("Estado 
Mayor") and Northern Bloc Commander 
 
Juan Carlos Sierra, an AUC field commander powerful in the 
Middle Magdalena region 
 
Jorge 40, AUC Northern Bloc Operations Commander 
 
Gabriel Galindo, AUC Pacific Bloc Operations Commander 
 
Marlon Perez, paramilitary field commander 
 
Adolfo Paz, AUC Inspector General and Pacific Bloc Commander 
 
Pedro Frontera, paramilitary field commander 
 
Jhon Santamaria, an AUC field commander powerful in western 
Antioquia Department 
 
3. (C) The AUC also named the members of its official 
negotiating team: 
Salvatore Mancuso 
Ernesto Baez de la Serna 
Hernan Hernandez 
Vicente Castano (not listed as present in the zone) 
Javier Montanez 
Julian Bolivar 
Jorge 40 
Ramiro Vanoy 
Miguel Arroyave (died September 19) 
Ramon Isaza (not listed as present in the zone) 
Victor Triana Botalon 
Adolfo Paz 
Luis Cifuentes 
Guillermo Torres 
 
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Who Are The AUC Commanders? 
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4. (C) Since the disappearance and probable death of former 
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) Political Chief 
Carlos Castano in April 2004, Salvatore Mancuso, Vicente 
Castano, and Diego Murillo have emerged as the most 
significant AUC leaders: 
 
-- Salvatore Mancuso Gomez, AUC Central Command Chief and 
Northern Bloc Commander, controls approximately 1,800 
paramilitaries in northern Colombia and is AUC spokesman. 
His two recent public appearances -- during the concentration 
zone's inauguration on July 1 and his address to Congress on 
July 28 -- revealed his celebrity-like status within parts of 
Cordoba society and his close relationship with Congresswoman 
Eleonora Pineda, who accompanied him throughout the 
congressional address.  Mancuso was conciliatory toward the 
GOC during the initial phase of negotiations, but has now 
become less so, demanding, for example, a "re-definition" of 
government conditions, including a cease-fire.  He often 
clashes verbally with Central Bolivar Bloc (BCB) Political 
Commander Ernesto Baez.  Mancuso was born on August 17, 1964, 
in Tierralta, Cordoba Department, near the current 
concentration zone.  He studied engineering at a prestigious 
Bogota university and reportedly studied English in 
Pennsylvania.  He is under indictment in the U.S. on drug 
trafficking charges. 
 
-- Vicente Castano ("El Profe"), a senior AUC commander, is 
the eldest of the three Castano brothers who founded the AUC 
(youngest brother Fidel Castano was reportedly killed in the 
1990s).  He plays a behind-the-scenes role and, according to 
the AUC list, is not present in the concentration zone.  He 
does not attend negotiation sessions, but allegedly wields 
significant influence over Mancuso and other AUC commanders. 
Vicente is thought by some observers to be one of the 
intellectual authors of the murder of Carlos Castano.  Press 
reports say he controls AUC finances and drug trafficking. 
Castano was born on July 2, 1957, in Amalfi, Antioquia 
Department. 
 
-- Fernando Diego Murillo ("Adolfo Paz" or "Don Berna"), AUC 
Inspector General, is heavily involved in drug trafficking. 
Murrillo came to the AUC after becoming a preeminent drug 
trafficker.  He controls several thousand troops in and 
around Antioquia, loosely organized into the Pacific Bloc. 
His drug trafficking wealth has given him significant power 
within the AUC.  According to OAS representative Sergio 
Caramagna, Murillo is skilled at rebutting GOC arguments for 
demobilization and legal accountability for serious crimes 
but rarely speaks during negotiations.  Murillo was commander 
of the Cacique Nutibara Bloc (BCN), which demobilized in 
Medellin in December 2003.  Both Caramagna and Peace 
Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo have noted privately, 
however, that Murillo did not demobilize his core military 
structure.  Murillo was born on February 23, 1961. 
 
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AUC Regional Commanders 
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5. (C) There are several regionally powerful AUC commanders 
in the concentration zone who have left their troops under 
the command of mid-level leaders in the field.  These 
commanders tend to be less politically-astute and heavily 
involved in narcotics trafficking. 
 
-- Jorge Tovar Pupo ("Jorge 40"), Northern Bloc Operations 
Commander, has gained power by expanding his drug trafficking 
operations.  He is suspected of seizing thousands of acres of 
valuable land in Cesar Department through threats and 
violence, including the murder of a sitting judge.  He put 
the AUC's negotiations with the GOC in jeopardy in June by 
kidnapping former Senator Jose Gnecco.  He has been 
implicated in the recent death of an indigenous leader and 
the kidnapping of two other indigenous activists in August in 
the Sierra Nevada region.  (The OAS verification mission is 
investigating the incident, but predicts that the truth will 
be impossible to uncover given the heavy control 
paramilitaries have in the region.)  Tovar controls 
approximately 4,000 troops in Cesar, La Guajira, Magdalena, 
Norte de Santander, Bolivar, and Sucre Departments. 
 
Recently, Tovar has been conciliatory toward the government. 
Peace Commissioner Restrepo held a secret meeting with him 
shortly after the Gnecco kidnapping.  During the meeting, 
Tovar agreed to demobilize his troops and later persuaded 
Mancuso to back the idea.  Tovar has told Restrepo that he 
wants to leave the armed conflict and is willing to turn 
himself in to U.S. authorities to "prove" he is innocent of 
drug trafficking.  Restrepo speculates that the possibility 
of extradition to the U.S. convinced Tovar that 
demobilization was his best option.  Tovar was born in Cesar 
Department to an affluent family. 
 
-- Hernan Hernandez is commander of the Calima Bloc, whose 
several hundred troops operate in the departments of Cauca 
and Valle del Cauca.  According to the OAS, Hernandez also 
controls the 350-member Bananero Bloc in Cordoba and northern 
Choco Departments, which he has agreed to demobilize.  Two of 
Hernandez's key subordinates were captured in Medellin in 
early September.  OAS officials who have dealt with Hernandez 
describe him as one of the youngest commanders, mid-ranking 
in terms of influence, and eager to demobilize his troops. 
He has acknowledged that he faces serious criminal charges 
within Colombia and must remain in the concentration zone if 
his troops lay down their arms. 
-- Ramiro Vanoy ("Cuco") is powerful in Antioquia Department, 
where his Mineros Bloc operates.  He is reportedly about 50 
years old, a native of Boyaca Department, and has been 
affiliated with the AUC since at least the 1990s.  He is 
under indictment in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. 
 
-- Francisco Javier Zuluaga Lindo ("Gabriel Galindo" or 
"Gordo Lindo") is roughly second-in-command of Murillo's 
Pacific Bloc.  He is under indictment in the U.S. on drug 
trafficking charges. 
 
-- Juan Carlos Sierra Ramirez is reportedly a powerful 
commander in the Middle Magdalena region.  He was born on 
April 15, 1966. 
 
-- Jhon Santamaria is an AUC field commander in western 
Antioquia Department. 
 
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BCB Commanders 
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6. (C) The Central Bolivar Bloc (BCB) has several thousand 
members and is the second largest paramilitary group.  It 
held separate negotiations with the GOC until the 
concentration zone was formed, at which time it formally 
joined the "unified" negotiating table. 
 
-- Ivan Roberto Duque ("Ernesto Baez de la Serna"), BCB 
Political Commander, is a skilled public speaker.  Government 
and OAS officials who have participated in negotiations say 
Duque is a tough negotiator who believes violence and drug 
trafficking are justified to further the paramilitary cause. 
He has said that if talks break down, the BCB would form a 
right-wing insurgency to "rid the country of guerrillas." 
Duque was born on May 9, 1955, and was involved in politics 
in the Middle Magdalena region before joining the 
paramilitary movement. 
-- Javier Montanez ("Macaco"), the BCB Military Commander, 
appeared publicly for the first time during the July 1 
inauguration of the concentration zone.  He controls the 
BCB's several thousand troops, which operate primarily in and 
around Antioquia Department.  Restrepo has privately 
commented that Montanez is a major drug trafficker but keeps 
his record relatively clean by delegating the nuts-and-bolts 
of illicit activity. 
 
-- "Julian Bolivar," the BCB's third-in-command, is similarly 
powerful and involved in drug trafficking, although Restrepo 
believes Bolivar has some ideological misgivings about 
dealing in narcotics and is more politically motivated. 
 
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Regional BCB Commanders 
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7. (C) The BCB has two important regional blocs: 
 
-- Guillermo Perez Alzate ("Pablo Sevillano") is commander of 
the Liberators of the South Bloc, which operates along the 
Pacific coast in Narino and Cauca Departments. 
 
-- Miguel Mejia Munera ("Pablo Mejia") commands the 
Vencedores of Arauca.  His unit is one of three AUC/BCB 
groups that operate in Colombia's eastern plains and agreed 
to demobilize on August 12.  Mejia and his twin brother 
Victor are powerful drug traffickers.  Mejia is under 
indictment in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. 
 
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Other Groups 
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8. (C) There are several commanders in the zone who represent 
independent paramilitary groups or were previously unknown to 
us: 
 
-- Ramon Maria Isaza Arango is the commander of the 
independent Middle Magdalena Self-Defense Forces (AMM). 
Isaza unexpectedly joined the negotiating table with the 
AUC/BCB in June 2004, although his absence in the zone 
suggests he is not entirely comfortable associating with 
other paramilitary organizations or fully on board with 
talks.  Our interlocutors have described Isaza as a more 
"traditional" paramilitary, who is less involved in drug 
trafficking and more interested in combating guerrilla 
groups.  Isaza was born on September 30, 1940. 
 
-- Victor Triana Botalon is sometimes described as Isaza's 
deputy and other times reported to be an independent 
paramilitary commander who operates in Boyaca Department.  He 
has been associated with the AUC in the past. 
 
-- Luis Eduardo Cifuentes ("El Aguila") is an independent 
paramilitary commander who operates in Cundinamarca 
Department and has sometimes been associated with the AUC. 
He was born on March 16, 1960. 
 
-- "Guillermo Torres" commands the independent Self-Defense 
Forces of Meta and Vichada and joined the AUC/BCB negotations 
shortly before the concentration zone was inaugurated.  On 
August 12, he agreed to demobilize his troops. 
 
-- We have no information on field commanders Marlon Perez 
and Pedro Frontera. 
 
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Those Not Participating 
----------------------- 
 
9. (C) Three small paramilitary groups remain outside the 
Santa Fe de Ralito negotiations: 
 
-- The Elmer Cardenas Bloc, led by Alfred Berrio ("El 
Aleman"), operates in northern Choco and Antioquia 
Departments and has about 1,000 members.  Aleman was a 
protege of Carlos Castano but refused to join negotiations on 
the grounds that most of the AUC commanders were involved in 
drug trafficking.  His bloc has held separate talks with the 
government but has not formally agreed to a cease-fire or 
demobilization. 
-- The Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Casanare (ACC), led by 
Hector German Buitrago Parada ("Martin Llanos"), has 
repeatedly told the government that it wants to demobilize 
but has demanded a concentration zone of several thousand 
square miles to do so.  Buitrago did not respond to Uribe's 
August ultimatum that all paramilitary groups operating on 
the eastern plains demobilize or face the full weight of the 
security forces.  The group has about 800 members who are 
being pushed into an increasingly smaller area of Casanare 
Department by attacks from other AUC groups.  Buitrago was 
born on January 21, 1968. 
 
-- The Tolima Bloc, led by Daniel Roa, has about 200 members 
and has not held talks with the government.  GOC officials 
report that Roa is not closely tied to drug trafficking. 
DRUCKER