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Colombia's president invites the country's largest criminal group to peace talks, and it accepts

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia's largest criminal group said Tuesday it has accepted President Gustavo Petro's offer to start peace negotiations, but the next steps in any talks were not immediately clear.

The Gaitanista Self Defense Forces of Colombia — called the Gulf Clan by Colombia’s government — has been described by analysts as a threat to Petro’s ongoing efforts to broker peace deals with the nation’s remaining rebel groups.

Petro on Monday night said he was willing to start peace negotiations with the group if it “dares” to leave drug trafficking, stops taxing local businesses and stops profiting from the transit of migrants heading to the United States.

The group responded on Tuesday with a statement on X saying it accepted the president’s invitation to start negotiations. It denied being involved in the smuggling of migrants.

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