The ghost of Colombia’s bloody past has finally been chained. Salvatore Mancuso, the fearsome commander of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for a catalogue of horrors that includes mass murder and forced disappearances.

For the Indigenous Wayuu people of La Guajira, this judgment is a vindication of a nightmare that lasted decades. Between 2002 and 2006, Mancuso’s death squads roamed the countryside like wolves, raping, killing, and displacing thousands in the name of "fighting communism." His sentencing closes a loop of impunity that has strangled Colombia for a generation.

From Drug Lord to Peace Broker?

The irony of the sentence is thick. Mancuso, 61, was only recently repatriated from the US after serving 15 years for drug trafficking. Upon his return, President Gustavo Petro controversially named him a "Peace Facilitator," hoping his influence could dismantle remaining gangs. The court, however, was not interested in politics.

• The Crimes: The tribunal documented 117 specific atrocities, including the systematic targeting of women and community leaders.
• The Loophole: While the sentence reads 40 years, the Justice and Peace Law—a transitional justice mechanism—could see him serve only 8 years if he tells the "whole truth" and pays reparations.
• The Lesson: It is a fragile peace. The victims want justice, but the state wants silence and stability.

For Kenyans, the parallels are haunting. We too have our warlords who morphed into politicians, our victims who rot in IDP camps while their tormentors ride in government limousines. Colombia’s struggle to balance punishment with reconciliation is a mirror to our own unfinished business with the PEV of 2007.

A Warning to the Powerful

Mancuso was once untouchable, dining with senators and generals. Today, he is just a number in a cell. The wheels of justice grind exceedingly fine, even if they take 20 years to turn.

"He took our land and our sons," a Wayuu matriarch told the press. "Now let him give us the truth." That is the only currency that matters now.

The warlord has fallen. But the scars he carved into the soul of a nation will never fade.