AUC'S HEROES OF TOLOVA DEMOBILIZE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 005980

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2015
TAGS: PTER PHUM KJUS CO OAS AUC
SUBJECT: AUC'S HEROES OF TOLOVA DEMOBILIZE

REF: A. BOGOTA 005310

B. BOGOTA 005567

Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood; reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary: Over 450 members of the "Heroes of Tolova
Bloc of the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)
demobilized on June 15. Both government and paramilitary
speakers welcomed the move and encouraged demobilizing forces
to return to a peaceful, civilian life. Diego Murillo ("Don
Berna") attended the ceremony under police supervision and
formally demobilized at the end of the event. Other
paramilitary leaders like Salvatore Mancuso and Javier
Montanez remained quiet during the ceremony. GOC officials
have established an organized procedure for processing
demobilized fighters and are satisfied they have fixed the
interagency communication problems. End summary.

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Heroes of Tolova Leave the AUC
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2. (U) The AUC's Heroes of Tolova Bloc demobilized on June
15, in the first ceremony since La Mojana Bloc demobilized
last February. The group historically had been a protection
force for AUC leader Diego Murillo, ("Don Berna" or "Adolfo
Paz") and was the first to demobilize after his surrender on
May 27 (Ref A). The Heroes of Tolova disbanded in the hamlet
of "Altos de la Rusia Ocho", in Valencia municipality,
central Cordoba Department. The Bloc was made up of 464
fighters, many from the immediate area. The fighters turned
in 256 weapons during the ceremony. Young locals accounted
for the majority of fighters in the Bloc. Many said they
planned to find employment by working on area farms. Since
2003, 5,284 paramilitaries have demobilized in collective
processes.

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Restrepo Discusses GOC Security Efforts
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3. (U) High Commissioner for Peace Luis Carlos Restrepo spoke
on behalf of the GOC at the ceremony, and local government
officials also addressed the group. He welcomed the latest
demobilization and said the GOC had plans to launch a
security pilot program in Cordoba. The program would allow
enhanced means of communication between the citizens and
military/police forces in the area. Restrepo emphasized that
the government would be able to better defend the area with
information on threats against Cordoba communities. He also
mentioned plans to provide basic education to any fighters
who did not complete their basic education. In addition to
the Heroes of Tolova, Restrepo will be attending four other
demobilizations over the next couple of months (Ref B).

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Don Berna Leaves the AUC
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4. (C) As part of Murillo's surrender agreement, the GOC
temporarily named him an active AUC member and gave him
permission to attend the ceremony under police supervision.
Murillo arrived by police helicopter from his house arrest
location and was returned immediately after the ceremony
ended. Emboffs passed the site on the way to the
demobilization ceremony. The property consists of a small
house and a stable for horses but was modest in contrast to
Don Berna's Rialito home, according to the Director for
National Reintegration, Juan David Angel. He added that
Murillo's holding site belonged to a fellow AUC member who
offered the use of his property with the GOC's concurrence.
Several locals stopped to take pictures, but the heavy police
security kept gawkers behind the perimeter.


5. (C) When the ceremony began, Murillo proceeded directly to
the head table and later addressed troops. He told the
Heroes of Tolova Bloc that his journey towards peace started
over a year ago with the demobilization of the Cacique
Nutibara Bloc (BCN) in Medellin and would continue. He
reassured the troops that they could rely on the government
to protect them from guerrilla activity and encouraged them
to return to a peaceful, productive life. Although the
troops cheered Murillo's words, they also literally kissed
their weapons good-bye as they handed them over to OAS
verification officials. Some of the more senior paramilitary
members saluted the AUC commanders as they moved back into
the ranks. Murillo signed the renunciation of violence
document on behalf of the Bloc.

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Baez Tones Down Rhetoric, Other Leaders Remain Quiet
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6. (U) Bombastic paramilitary commander "Ernesto Baez"
remained relatively subdued during his speech. He claimed
that Restrepo was an "intransigent enemy for illegal armed
groups," but asserted that both the AUC and government were
working towards the same ultimate objective of peace in
Colombia. He further mentioned that Restrepo had shown AUC
leaders the connection between institution building and
national peace. Baez did not raise the Justice and Peace
legislation, but he did pledge that the AUC would neither
coerce nor interfere in the 2006 elections in any way. "Even
if the Congress provokes us with leftist legislation, we will
not interfere," said Baez.


7. (U) Salvatore Mancuso and Javier Montanez also attended
the ceremony but did not address the crowd. Mancuso remained
behind stage throughout the process and then boarded his
vehicle out of public view. He told Angel that he did not
want to cause a stir with his presence. Other than brief
conversations with AUC leaders on the margins of the event,
he did not participate. Montanez was at the head table but
also remained quiet. Vicente Castano, a new player in the
AUC negotiations, did not attend.

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GOC Officials Pleased with Demobilization Procedures
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8. (C) Angel and Restrepo both told Embassy attendees they
were pleased with the process (i.e. registration,
identification, and legal processing on candidates) and noted
that demobilization procedures had improved with each group.
Angel explained the process during a tour as he showed
Emboffs the rooms used to collect information, process
identification cards and sign renunciations of violence. The
Heroes of Tolova were the first bloc to have an armory where
fighters could rest their weapons while being processed.


9. (C) Interior Ministry staff commented that registration
was a particular issue with the Bloc because almost forty
members lacked identification cards and the local registrar
refused to process documents on Wednesdays, Saturdays or
Sundays. By the day of the official ceremony, ten people
still awaited their identification. Nevertheless, the
interagency cooperation between David's reinsertion staff and
Restrepo's peace process staff has improved over previous
demobilizations. "I think we have finally gotten it right,"
said Restrepo.
WOOD