The Colombian government surprised Peruvian diplomats by changing the person designated to head its embassy in Lima less than a month after her appointment was announced. Thania Vega, a former congresswoman from the Democratic Center party, had been announced in September as the new ambassador and had already received approval from the government of Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori.
However, as journalist Daniel Coronell reported this morning, Colombia replaced her with her husband, controversial retired Army Colonel Luis Alfonso Plazas Vega, who was convicted and later acquitted in connection with the events at the Palace of Justice 41 years ago. No public explanation for the change was provided.
The decision has caused confusion in Peruvian diplomatic circles, where Vega’s arrival had been expected so she could present her credentials and begin her duties. The replacement is unusual not only because it came after the host country had approved the original nominee, but also because a woman designated to represent Colombia is being replaced by her own husband.
The episode comes as Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella seeks to strengthen relations with Peru following a period of tensions between the two countries, both of which underwent changes of government in 2026.
Colombia replaces Peru ambassador with her husband, without explanation
Thania Vega‘s appointment was announced on September 21, when Colombian media reported that the Peruvian government had granted the approval required for her nomination. The former senator, who served from 2014 to 2018 as a member of the Democratic Center party, was expected to lead a diplomatic mission whose normalization had been pending for some time.
Lima’s approval meant the process had cleared one of its key stages. The next step was for Vega to arrive in Peru and present her credentials, the procedure through which an ambassador officially establishes her representation before the host country’s head of state.
But the Colombian government changed its decision within weeks. According to local outlet Caracol Radio this morning, Vega’s name was replaced by that of her husband, Plazas Vega. Journalist Clara Elvira Ospina had previously reported the change, which caught Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, known as Torre Tagle after the palace where it is headquartered, by surprise.
So far, no official explanation has been made public clarifying why the government decided to withdraw its ambassador-designate after obtaining Lima’s approval. Nor have the reasons been detailed for replacing her with her husband.
Who is Luis Alfonso Plazas Vega?
The new nominee is a retired Colombian Army colonel known for his role in the military operation to retake the Palace of Justice in Bogota, which had been occupied by the April 19 Movement (M-19) guerrilla group in November 1985. The military intervention and its aftermath remain among the most controversial episodes in Colombia’s recent history.
For decades, Plazas Vega has been linked to legal proceedings related to the events surrounding that operation. He was convicted in Colombia in connection with forced disappearances but was subsequently definitively acquitted by the Supreme Court of Justice.
Just last September, a federal jury in Miami also found in a civil proceeding that he was not liable for allegations related to the torture and death of Assistant Magistrate Carlos Horacio Uran. That ruling concerned civil liability and did not constitute a new criminal judgment.
President De la Espriella publicly expressed his support for the retired colonel at the time. In early September, the president asked Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assess what support it could provide him in the U.S. legal proceedings. After the outcome became known, De la Espriella called him a “hero of the nation.”
That support is a relevant precedent for understanding the relationship between the government and the military officer, although it does not, by itself, establish the specific reasons behind the diplomatic change.
Thania Vega, for her part, has defended her husband’s innocence for years. Her political career includes four years in the Senate during the previous decade, when she entered Congress on the Democratic Center party list led by former President Álvaro Uribe. During her legislative tenure, she focused on issues related to security and defense.
An appointment amid a rapprochement between Bogota and Lima
The controversy also has implications for bilateral relations. Colombia and Peru experienced a period of estrangement under former Colombian President Gustavo Petro, partly because of disagreements that emerged following the removal and arrest of then-Peruvian President Pedro Castillo.
The rise to power of De la Espriella and Keiko Fujimori has opened a new political chapter in both countries. Both governments have expressed interest in rebuilding their ties, and the renewal of Colombia’s diplomatic representation in Lima is part of that process.
The embassy’s importance extends beyond protocol and formal relations. Colombia and Peru share an Amazonian border and have common interests in security, trade, migration and regional cooperation. A stable diplomatic presence is particularly important for coordinating initiatives between the two countries.
In this context, replacing an ambassador who had already received Peru’s approval introduces uncertainty into a process intended to move toward normalization. Although the change does not necessarily signal a new bilateral crisis, the lack of public explanations leaves questions unanswered about how the appointment was handled.