Bogota, Colombia – Two of Colombia’s most prominent ex-rebel and paramilitary group leaders apologised to victims on Wednesday as part of a commission designed to unravel the complicated truths behind the country’s decades-long civil war.
While the testimonies were considered a crucial step as Colombia struggles to grapple with past bloodshed, they also left many of the more than nine million victims of the conflict with a sour taste in their mouths.
“This is a process of constantly grappling with our history,” said Sergio Guzman, director of Bogota-based Colombia Risk Analysis. “And there’s no good guy or bad guy in Colombian history. There is what there is.”