Colombia’s 52-Year War Is Ending. Now Comes the Hard Part.
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Version 0 of 1. It was a five-decade war — and it ended with a party on Colombia’s southern plains. In late September, Colombia’s main rebel group — the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC — gathered for a last time before a peace agreement ending its 52-year insurgency. Rebel fighters and commanders trudged in from across Colombia for the event, a prelude to laying down arms and joining Colombian society. The war exacted a heavy toll. At least 220,000 people were killed and five million were displaced. As rebel groups around Latin America were defeated or entered politics, the rebels continued to persist in the jungle, financed by the cocaine trade. As the 21st century began, the rebels had created a 1960s Communist time capsule of sorts where rebels were taught Marxism under the banner of Che Guevara. The turning point came in the early 2000s, when the government stepped up its attacks against rebels. Many of the rebel leaders were apprehended and rank-and-file soldiers defected, weakening the group. After four years of peace negotiations in Havana, the rebels and the government announced in August that they had a deal. With the war over, the rebel fighters must now decide how to reintegrate into Colombian society. Some are preparing to run for office. Others simply are planning to head home to towns and villages that some of them have not visited for years, where they will seek a start as farmers or tradespeople. The treaty marks the end of the road for the rebels, many of whom have been in the jungles so long that a life outside of hammocks and tents is almost unimaginable. Beyond creating an insurgency, the rebels forged a lifestyle in the mountains replete with mobile kitchens and movable campsites. The reintegration of the rebels into Colombian society is perhaps the most urgent task for its leaders. Many experts warn that if the government does not find opportunities for the former guerrilla fighters, they will become easy recruits for paramilitary groups eager to fight for a piece of the drug trade. It also remains unclear how popular their leadership — pictured here at the conference’s closing ceremony — will be in Colombian politics. While the group is guaranteed at least 10 seats in Congress starting in 2018, it is reviled by many Colombians who remember the bloodiest days of the war. The gathering offered the rebels a taste of what life outside the jungle would be like. Not only will the rebels be wearing civilian clothes when they disarm, but they will also have the chance to marry. The FARC forbade marriage for its fighters, saying they were wed only to the revolution. Now, the ball is in the court of the Colombian people. On Sunday, the country will hold a referendum to ratify the agreement. Many prominent voices have mounted opposition to the measure, including Colombia’s last president, Álvaro Uribe. However, polls show the referendum passing by a wide margin. If that happens, Colombians will enter an era that many have wanted. And for the first time in decades, the Americas will be free of war. |