Throughout much of a half a century, Colombia has been living one of the most intense dramas of its history. The social confrontation between a wealthy economic elite and the impoverished majority is being defined through an armed struggle. After more than 50 years of violent conflict, the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the Colombian government have reached a deadlock (BBC News 2014, June 14). Currently, peace negotiations are under way. A six point peace plan will address land Reform, political participation, drug trafficking, rights of victims, disarmament of the rebels and the implementation of peace deal (BBC News 2014, June 14).
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The armed struggle emerged from a long history of inequality. In 1960, a mere 1.7 per cent of landowners owned 55 percent of Colombia’s arable land, while 62.5 percent of the country’s farmers subsisted on less than 1 percent of the national territory (Leech 19). By 1964, Manuel Marulanda, a Colombian peasant who survived an attack by the Colombian Armed Forces supported by U.S. military advisers in May of the same year, formed the Southern Front. It was formed as an armed group aimed to fight the social injustice suffered by the peasants. Two years later the Southern Front was renamed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and became a main political-military-social actor. Since then “220,000 people are estimated to have died in 50 years of violence” (BBC News 2014, August 14), and many others have been displaced. The long violence and huge toll taken on the population make the peace talks imperative for the future of Colombia.
The peace process is worthy of international attention for several reasons. First, It takes a new approach, bringing victims and perpetrators of violence together (BBC News 2014, June 14). A document signed by FARC representatives acknowledges that there have been victims of human rights abuses which is a large step in reconciling the divided country (BBC News 2014, August 14). The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called it a “ potential model for other countries dealing with issues of justice, peace and reconciliation.” (BBC News 2014, August 14). This holistic approach to mending the country is worthy of international attention because it attempts to produce more than a political peace, but a reconciliation of the people.
The conflict and attempts at reconciliation deserve our attention not only because they have destabilized Colombian national politics for more than half a century, but also because the tensions between FARC and the Colombian government are a clear example of the ongoing difficulties faced by those whose cultures, lives, and livelihoods are threatened by homogenizing nationalism and globalization. The contradictions between the largely silenced voices of the Revolutionary Forces and the legitimated narrative propagated by the Colombian government is a window into the way in which institutions and people with conventional, hegemonic approaches to politics and “development” are able to take the identities of marginalized peoples hostage as a means of control. While peace talks may seem like an amicable way forward, the way in which issues are decided on and labels assigned to parties to the conflict are deeply illustrative of a long history of intrusive, colonialist interventionism. During this semester, we seek to demonstrate the ways in which Colombia holds many lessons for us about the modern liberation struggle, and how listening rather than drawing conclusions may be the first step forward.
Sources:
BBC News (2014, June 14). Q&A: Colombia Peace Talks BBC News Retreived from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19875363
BBC News (2014, August 14) Colombia conflict victims join Farc peace talks in Cuba BBC News Retreived from : http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28822683
Leech, Garry. The FARC: The Longest Insurgency. London & New York: Zed Books, 2011
#Colombia&Peace
You all did a really good job at summarizing both the deep history and immediacy of the half-century long crisis in Columbia. I think that because the conflict is so longstanding, many people are unaware of its importance, however, I think that will change now that negotiations have come to a head. Whats unique about the peace talks is that the Columbian people are using them not only to gain concessions from the FARC rebels but also from the Columbian government in the way of land reform and political participation.
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I didn't know this was such a large and long-term issue, it is really under-reported in popular media. I think it's a really important issue, which will hopefully end with peace in Colombia, land reform, and the end of FARC. This was very well researched post which offered a lot of background into the topic.
ReplyDeleteI was also not aware of this subject in Columbia and I agree with Miles that the reason why it is so long standing is the fact that the media doesn't cover issues such as these. We can ask ourselves, why not? This has been an issue for half a century and human rights have been abused and due to that the country has been unstable. While reading this I recalled that United States is an "international police" so why haven't they stepped in? Is it because there is no benefit for the United States to interfere even though there are violations of human rights and the right to a government? This brought up the mere question of who does the United States help and why?
ReplyDeleteVery cool learning about the Columbian Peace talks. It is another great example of an extreme economic inequality that has driven a country to violence. I look forward to learning more and think it will be interesting to trace this instance and link it to other uprisings that have formed by the people to stand up for their rights.
ReplyDeleteWow what an amazing post/topic/good looking blog group wow.
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