Virgilio Barco Vargas
president of Colombia
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amnesty for M-19 members
- In Gustavo Petro: Early life and M-19 membership
Virgilio Barco led to amnesty for members of the group, which then transformed into a legitimate political party, Alianza Democrática M-19.
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role in Colombia
- In Colombia: The growth of drug trafficking and guerrilla warfare
The presidency of Virgilio Barco Vargas, a former mayor of Bogotá, began in August 1986 with hopes of improving civil order, but instead guerrilla groups became more active than ever, and paramilitary groups caused even more deaths than the leftist insurgents. Drug groups, especially the Medellín cartel, also…
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