Many people would be surprised to learn that the worlds longest standing conflict between armed rebel nationalists and government has not taken place in Afghanistan, Syria, or Iraq – but Colombia. Since the conflict began in 1964 an estimated 6 million Colombians have been displaced by violence and nearly 290,000 people have either been killed or “disappeared” – 177,00 of which were innocent civilians. In more recent time the conflict has become bloodier then ever as a new study suggest a 500% increase in civilians deaths between 2001 and 2014 alone. In 2016 however peace may be finally be on the horizon as rebel leaders are actively meeting with government officials for the first time in over a decade.
To understand the Colombian conflict is to understand the circumstances which led to the Vietnam War and America’s War on Drugs. The rebel groups do not call themselves a military operation but instead consider themselves more of a political organization. As the video explains the rebels are have a Marxist – Communist ideology and believe in redistribution of wealth to the poor citizens of the country. Something they argue the current government has never done.
For the same reasons America went to War in Vietnam and for the same reason America funds the international War on Drugs, the United States fully supports the Colombian government in their fight against the rebel factions. First because the United States does not support the spread of Communism and like in Vietnam is willing to intervene and arm countries to prevent it. Secondly the rebels primary source of funding comes through illegal international drug trade and smuggling which the US has been at War with since 1971.
As the video stated the two sides set a deadline of March 23, 2016 to reach an agreement. It is now April and that date has come and passed with no formal agreement but significant progress has been made. As Columbia Reports has announced, in a first step towards peace both sides have agreed to the search of nearly 77,000 citizens who have “disappeared” amidst the fighting recent years. The rebels have agreed to “surrender information for the localization of victims’ remains they know of, and will contribute to their dignified surrender to the loved ones, some of whom have been waiting for their disappeared family members for decades.” The Colombian government has agreed to “set up a specialized unit to search for people who are considered disappeared.”
Furthermore both sides have agreed to allowed United Nations to oversee the peace negation/implementation process to ensure terms of agreement for both parties are fairly/equitably enforced. As for the role of the United Nations will play, they have announced the formation of a “15-nation council to establish a political mission to participate for a period of 12 months … to monitor and verify the definitive bilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, and the laying down of arms.” In a statement the United Nation has said they “hope today will mark the start of the final stage of peace talks.”
Though an official deal was not signed at the the March 23rd peace talks the leaders of both groups ended the meeting with a symbolic hand shake and in a gesture of good faith the Colombian government has agreed to the release of 30 political prisoners convicted last November for supporting rebel ideology. It remains to be seen how the peace talks progress from this moment in time forward but both sides have expressed hope that peace may soon become a reality. As one local reporter surmised:
“Despite the obvious and sometimes understandable mistrust between the two negotiating parties, both sides have displayed a clear desire to work towards a final settlement to bring to an end the longest internal conflict in Latin America.“
The message of peace is slowly spreading across the region as of 3-31-2016 a second guerrilla rebel group has emerged willing to put down their arms and negotiate with the Colombian government. Read More Here: http://www.npr.org/2016/03/31/472500973/second-rebel-group-ready-to-talk-peace-with-colombias-government
What peace in Colombia would mean for the drug trade and those who depend on it: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/what-peace-in-colombia-would-mean-for-the-drug-trade-and-those-who-depend-on-it/
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