A heated exchange occurred between President Gustavo Petro and former President César Gaviria. This time, it was over the controversial"total peace" policy.
The first to launch a sharp criticism was former president César Gaviria, who openly criticized the possibility of the dreaded Aragua Train entering into 'total peace'.
In a statement, Gaviria sounded the alarm:"It would consist of including the Venezuelan organization, with tentacles in Colombia and other Latin American countries, within the 'total peace,' under the pretext that its bosses in Colombia requested it in a letter."
In addition, former President Gaviria, president of the Liberal Party, stated that the Aragua Train is a terrorist organization: “ He and his government will face the consequences, but it must be absolutely clear that Colombia rejects complicity with criminal organizations and the weakness of the government.”
These attacks by former President César Gaviria caught the attention of President Gustavo Petro, who reacted through his personal X account.
"I want to inform former President Cesar Gaviria that crime has been internationalized for many years," the head of state posted.
He also stated: "It's not like the days of Pablo Escobar, when the mafia was provincial and was dazzled by Miami or the Cathedral."
I want to let former President Cesar Gaviria know that crime has been internationalized for many years now. It's not like it was in Pablo Escobar's time, when the mafia was provincial and dazzled by Miami or 'The Cathedral'. https://t.co/PUZyq5QcQP
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 14, 2025
Returning to César Gaviria's criticisms, the former president also stated:"The entire country must be on high alert because this would mean that the government has intentionally taken a course aimed at harming Colombia for the benefit of extremely dangerous foreign criminal organizations."
It's worth noting that in Gustavo Petro's recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, he defended the Aragua Train, a move that sparked a wave of criticism.
"It's a lie that the Aragua Train is terrorist; they are just common criminals in the form of a gang swelled by the stupid idea of blocking Venezuela and keeping its heavy and already poisonous oil," said the head of state on that stage.
