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Colombian peace process
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Colombian peace process
The Colombian peace process refers to the negotiations between the Government of Colombia under President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP) aimed at ending the decades-long Colombian conflict. These talks culminated in the Final Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP. Formal negotiations began in September 2012 and were primarily held in Havana, Cuba.
On August 24, 2016, negotiators announced a final agreement to end the conflict and build a lasting peace. President Santos and FARC commander-in-chief Rodrigo Londoño, also known as Timoleón Jiménez or Timochenko, publicly signed the first peace accord. Londoño had assumed leadership of the FARC in 2011 following the death of Guillermo León Sáenz (Alfonso Cano). Both leaders, along with other participants, wore white in a symbolic gesture of peace during the signing ceremony. At the event, Londoño issued a public apology, stating: “We are being reborn to launch a new era of reconciliation and of building peace.” The ceremony was witnessed by nearly one million Colombians and covered by hundreds of news outlets.
However, the agreement was narrowly rejected in a national referendum held on October 2, 2016, with 50.2% voting against and 49.8% in favor.
Sergio Jaramillo Caro, former Vice Minister of Human Rights and International Affairs, led the government’s negotiating team. Reflecting on the process, he stated: “All the hard work of six years was hanging by a thread. We went back to what had worked for us—a robust methodology and a capacity to engage.”
A revised peace agreement was signed on November 24, 2016, and instead of holding another referendum, the government submitted it to the Congress of Colombia for ratification. Both houses of Congress ratified the new agreement on November 29 and 30, officially ending the conflict.
The Colombian armed conflict is one of the longest-running ongoing armed conflicts in the world. It officially began in 1964 with the creation of two major guerrilla groups: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), founded by rebel leader Manuel Marulanda, and the National Liberation Army (Colombia) (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN), which was later led by Spanish priest Manuel Pérez Martínez, also known as El Cura Pérez. The ELN has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union.
In 1990 and 1991, several smaller guerrilla groups reached peace agreements with the Colombian government, leading to their demobilization and reintegration into civilian political life. The first to do so was the 19th of April Movement (M-19), which disarmed in exchange for a blanket amnesty. Other groups that followed similar paths included most fronts of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) and the Movimiento Armado Quintín Lame (MAQL).
However, efforts to reach a peace agreement with the FARC were consistently unsuccessful. The most notable attempt prior to the 2012 process occurred between 1999 and 2002, during the presidency of Andrés Pastrana Arango. Pastrana granted the FARC a special demilitarized zone to facilitate talks, but despite three years of negotiations, no agreement was reached. On February 20, 2002, Pastrana ended the peace process and ordered the military to retake control of the zone, just months before the 2002 presidential elections. During the process, the FARC had used the demilitarized area to hold hostages, negotiate prisoner exchanges, train fighters, and plan military operations.
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Colombian peace process
The Colombian peace process refers to the negotiations between the Government of Colombia under President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP) aimed at ending the decades-long Colombian conflict. These talks culminated in the Final Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP. Formal negotiations began in September 2012 and were primarily held in Havana, Cuba.
On August 24, 2016, negotiators announced a final agreement to end the conflict and build a lasting peace. President Santos and FARC commander-in-chief Rodrigo Londoño, also known as Timoleón Jiménez or Timochenko, publicly signed the first peace accord. Londoño had assumed leadership of the FARC in 2011 following the death of Guillermo León Sáenz (Alfonso Cano). Both leaders, along with other participants, wore white in a symbolic gesture of peace during the signing ceremony. At the event, Londoño issued a public apology, stating: “We are being reborn to launch a new era of reconciliation and of building peace.” The ceremony was witnessed by nearly one million Colombians and covered by hundreds of news outlets.
However, the agreement was narrowly rejected in a national referendum held on October 2, 2016, with 50.2% voting against and 49.8% in favor.
Sergio Jaramillo Caro, former Vice Minister of Human Rights and International Affairs, led the government’s negotiating team. Reflecting on the process, he stated: “All the hard work of six years was hanging by a thread. We went back to what had worked for us—a robust methodology and a capacity to engage.”
A revised peace agreement was signed on November 24, 2016, and instead of holding another referendum, the government submitted it to the Congress of Colombia for ratification. Both houses of Congress ratified the new agreement on November 29 and 30, officially ending the conflict.
The Colombian armed conflict is one of the longest-running ongoing armed conflicts in the world. It officially began in 1964 with the creation of two major guerrilla groups: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), founded by rebel leader Manuel Marulanda, and the National Liberation Army (Colombia) (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN), which was later led by Spanish priest Manuel Pérez Martínez, also known as El Cura Pérez. The ELN has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union.
In 1990 and 1991, several smaller guerrilla groups reached peace agreements with the Colombian government, leading to their demobilization and reintegration into civilian political life. The first to do so was the 19th of April Movement (M-19), which disarmed in exchange for a blanket amnesty. Other groups that followed similar paths included most fronts of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) and the Movimiento Armado Quintín Lame (MAQL).
However, efforts to reach a peace agreement with the FARC were consistently unsuccessful. The most notable attempt prior to the 2012 process occurred between 1999 and 2002, during the presidency of Andrés Pastrana Arango. Pastrana granted the FARC a special demilitarized zone to facilitate talks, but despite three years of negotiations, no agreement was reached. On February 20, 2002, Pastrana ended the peace process and ordered the military to retake control of the zone, just months before the 2002 presidential elections. During the process, the FARC had used the demilitarized area to hold hostages, negotiate prisoner exchanges, train fighters, and plan military operations.