MM – Colombia’s government and the FARC guerrillas have today reached an agreement on a peace accord that should put an end to more than 50 years of civil war. The NGOs of the Swiss peacebuilding program “Semillas de Esperanza” welcome the agreement as an important step, but at the same time emphasize that this is only the beginning.
Following the signing of the ceasefire agreement on June 23, the government and the FARC have now agreed on a comprehensive peace agreement to be signed in September. This means that a permanent end to the civil war in Colombia is closer than ever before. It is particularly important for the victims of the conflict that massacres, expulsions, rapes and other acts of violence are not repeated, that the truth comes to light and that justice is finally served. The agreement is a necessary but not sufficient step and lays the foundation for peace to prevail in Colombia in the future.
Just solution to the land issue
The formal signing of the agreement marks the start of the major challenge of implementing it. The central point of the peace agreement is the outlined solution to the land issue. However, the implementation and enforcement of the displaced persons’ right to return will hardly be conflict-free.
In order to transform the FARC guerrillas into a political party, the security guarantees agreed in the peace agreement must become a reality. Politically motivated murders continue to be the order of the day in Colombia and hinder political participation. The extreme right and local elites are still resolutely opposed to a peace agreement and any political integration of the insurgents.
Fighting corruption and impunity
The government must also end links between paramilitary groups and state structures and fight corruption. The state is only weakly represented in the remote regions of Colombia in particular. Attacks on human rights defenders are at a record high. Most crimes are not or only insufficiently prosecuted. The result is almost complete impunity. Particular attention must also be paid to combating the drug mafia. This is responsible for a large part of the prevailing violence.
Broad participation of the population is essential for the successful implementation of the peace agreement. However, according to surveys, only 38% of the population approved the peace agreement in December 2015. The civilian population must be empowered so that it can find its own way to peaceful coexistence. In particular, the sustainable integration of combatants into civilian life will be a Herculean task.
Swiss peacebuilding project
The Swiss peacebuilding program “Semillas de Esperanza” shows what a regional implementation of a peace process could look like. Two Colombian organizations working in the Caribbean region, which is particularly affected by the conflict, support village communities in land rights issues, create opportunities for dialogue and promote local development. These measures defuse local and regional conflicts and thus contribute to the peace process in Colombia.
The organizations involved in the Swiss multitrack peacebuilding programme “Semillas de Esperanza” are ask! (Working Group Switzerland-Colombia), Caritas Switzerland, COMUNDO, Fastenopfer, HEKS/EPER, PBI (Peace Brigades International), PWS (Peace Watch Switzerland), Swissaid, terre des hommes schweiz and Terre des hommes schweiz.
Contact:
Caritas Switzerland, Mithra Akhbari, Program Officer Colombia. Tel: +41 41 419 22 67
