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For the last fifty years the Colombian government has been fighting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist outfit. The conflict has claimed 220,000 lives, displaced an estimated five million people, and harmed Colombia’s international image. Under former President Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian government launched an aggressive campaign against the FARC, which at one time controlled a vast amount of territory in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Uribe’s tactics, some of which were criticized by the Western world, succeeded in weakening the FARC’s leadership, but did not force the group to the negotiating table. President Juan Manuel Santos, who served as Uribe’s Minister of Defense, has taken a more conciliatory line toward the FARC, entering into peace negotiations with the group in November 2012. Those negotiations have borne some fruit, with the FARC declaring a unilateral ceasefire in December and both sides making progress on issues such as land reform and the FARC’s participation in politics. Santos has said that he wants a peace agreement by the end of the year, but issues such as disarming the FARC, compensating victims of the violence, dealing with the human rights abuses that took place during the conflict, and political resistance by right-wing politicians may scuttle a peace deal.
With progress being made toward a lasting solution for Colombia’s war with the FARC, extempers should be prepared to handle questions about the issue for the rest of this season. This topic brief will provide a quick overview of the Colombian conflict, address the pace of negotiations thus far, and then analyze the stumbling blocks that could hinder a lasting peace agreement.
Note: There are other armed groups that are fighting in Colombia such as the National Liberation Army (ELN). This topic brief will primarily focus on the FARC, though, as they are Colombia’s largest left-wing militant group and, unlike the ELN, they are currently negotiating a peace accord with the Colombian government.
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