The Minister of Defence will swap positions with Colombia’s ambassador to the United States in the coming weeks, President Juan Manuel Santos announced on May 20.
The outgoing Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón played a key role combating extremist groups and criminal gangs like the Clan Usuga and the Rastrojos during his tenure. He is a US educated economist who will soon be leaving for Washington DC, reports said.
Pinzón will be replaced by Luis Carlos Villegas, a long-time diplomat who has been heavily involved in Colombia’s peace process.
He is also currently an advisor to the two-year-old negotiations and worked under ex-president Andrés Pastrana on the peace talks of 1999-2002.
By Mark Kennedy