Columbia’s 52-year civil war killed 220,000 people and displaced even more. But on August 24th, 2016, after four years of painstaking negotiations in Havana, its government announced it had secured a peace deal with the FARC. The guerrilla army agreed to renounce armed conflict and embrace politics (Casey, 2016). More than a year has passed since the Colombian government and the armed group FARC signed a peace agreement, but the peace process is still fragile. It is one thing to secure a deal, but another to follow through on it. There are three overarching reasons why the peace may not continue for long: lack of government control, power struggles, and political upheaval.
In many areas previously controlled by FARC, armed conflict is still ongoing. In some areas, the fighting has increased since FARC laid down their weapons, as armed groups are attempting to take control over strategic areas, natural resources and important drug routes (Casey, 2016). In many places, paramilitary groups have moved in, causing increased fear among the population. Violence has increased throughout the country, as has the number of local leaders being murdered (Casey, 2016). The FARC was just a placeholder and once they agreed to peace, other paramilitary groups were eager to fulfill their positions.
The FARC have fulfilled their obligations as laid out in the peace agreement: they have gone from being a guerrilla group to a political party (Valencia, 2017). The FARC have laid down their weapons and gone back to school. Many former FARC soldiers are nevertheless frustrated by the situation they are in because the promises to the FARC have gone unfulfilled. The peace agreement was decided in congress in November 2016 after multiple talks of reforming the agreement (Valencia, 2017). Several leading politicians have expressed the desire to make changes to the agreement, potentially putting the agreement as such at risk. In some parts of the country, Colombians witness increasing violence, and feel less safe now than they did before (Valencia, 2017). Many feel they have not been adequately included in the peace process, and therefore lack trust in the government.
Even though the Columbia government worked hard to get a peace treaty with the FARC, the government has proved to be unable to handle the aftermath. The government is still not able to guarantee the safety of the civilian population and has been criticized for not making safety a bigger priority (Valencia, 2017). The government claims it lacks the resources and capacity. This lack of security has not only impacted civilians, but also local leaders (Valencia, 2017). A large number of local leaders and human rights activists were killed in 2017. More than 78 known deaths were registered as murders, and at least 13 more deaths were suspected murders, according to the UN Refugee Agency (Valencia, 2017). Many fear that the number is even higher.
The struggle for land has been continuous throughout Colombia's history, and today, about two percent of land owners control well above half of the land. The implementation of the Victim´s Law from 2012, involving the return of land to people who were forced to flee, is slow because of a lack of economic resources and poor security (Valencia, 2017). The peace agreement facilitates giving land access to small farmers from the districts, as well as larger companies doing commercial farming (Valencia, 2017). The redistributed land is typically land expropriated from drug cartels or land without formal ownership (Valencia, 2017). A larger redistribution is not part of the mandate of the peace agreement but will remain a challenge for future governments (Valencia, 2017).
Bibliography
Casey, N. (2016, December 01). Colombia's Congress Approves Peace Accord With FARC.
Retrieved April 21, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/world/americas/colombia-
farc-accord-juan-manuel-santos.html
Valencia, R. (2017, November 25). Colombia peace deal a year later: Violence and drugs surge
despite advances. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from http://www.newsweek.com/colombia-peace-
process-year-later-violence-and-drugs-surge-despite-advances-722232
Hi Zoe,
ReplyDeleteYour post represents a clear writing style, making it easy to delineate your argument. In general land reform is a major theme in many Latin American countries, whether or not there has been conflict. One thing to look at might be how other countries have instituted such reforms in the most equitable fashion. These cases may provide the necessary framework for Colombia.
Zoe,
ReplyDeleteI thought you had a very clear argument with some great points; I specifically like that you point out promises on both sides of the argument have fallen through within the first year, making peace that much harder to attain. Colombia has clearly attempted to resolve the conflict , but I ultimately think that lasting peace is reliant on legitimate trust between civilians, paramilitary groups, the FARC, and the government. My one question would be: do you think returning land to those who have been displaced is will help lead to peace across the country, or will it put them more in danger if the agreement with the FARC has not had time to reach it's full effect?
Hi Zoe,
ReplyDeleteFirst things first, I really enjoyed that you discussed the FARC in your essay. I feel like we didn't have as much time as usual to discuss the FARC in class so I just really like the fact that I could continue reading on about it with your essay. It was also interesting to read about your context of the FARC. Your discussion of them turning from a "guerrilla group to a political party" and then talking about how this change resulted in challenges for the Columbian government is overall a very interesting and insightful read. Great job!