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 LA RUSIA OCHO, Colombia (AP) - A brutal paramilitary warlord who made a fortune in Colombia's drug trade demobilized more than 400 of his fighters at a ceremony Wednesday under a peace deal critics say could let him get away with murder.
Under the command of former underworld assassin Diego Murillo, members of the "Heroes of Tolova" faction of the paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces, or AUC, sang the national anthem before laying down their weapons, including assault rifles and grenade launchers.
"Only a peaceful and constructive dialogue will make it possible to build a harmonious and prosperous country," Murillo told the ceremony at a soccer stadium in this tiny cattle-ranching hamlet 280 miles northwest of the capital, Bogota. He called on his leftist rebel foes to follow suit and enter peace talks.
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