colombia peace process – FoRB in Full

Colombia: Planting seeds of hope amid conflict and COVID-19

Posted on 01/12/202022/06/2021 by cswpress in Colombia, Latin America

30 November marked the fourth anniversary of the approval of a peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (the FARC-EP) by the Colombian Congress. Four years later the country still has a long way to go, as violence continues in several departments and those working in peacebuilding find themselves increasingly targeted by armed actors. Add to this the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the picture is one of serious concern.

CSW spoke to Pablo Moreno, Rector of the Unibautista Baptist Seminary in Cali and Director of the Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches Peace Commission (CEDECOL).

“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Colombia much like the rest of the world. There have been months of upheaval in the worlds of academia, work and religion. Periods of lockdown have shifted many areas of human life into the virtual realm, altering the physical meetings and face-to-face encounters we had become accustomed to.

In the midst of this, violence has increased in Colombia. Illegal armed groups occupying territories abandoned by the FARC-EP are fighting among themselves for control over drug trafficking routes. At the same time these groups are used to frighten the population to make them leave their homes so that they can build illegal mines, expropriate land, and expand their social dominance in a way that benefits them.

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Colombia: Plantando semillas de esperanza en medio de conflicto y el COVID-19

Posted on 01/12/202001/12/2020 by cswpress in Colombia ES, español, Latin America ES

El 30 de noviembre se cumple el cuarto aniversario de la aprobación del histórico acuerdo de paz, entre el gobierno colombiano y las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) en el congreso colombiano. Después de cuatro años, la paz sigue siendo un tema pendiente, ya que la violencia continúa y ha empeorado en varias regiones y quienes trabajan en la construcción de la paz, se encuentran cada vez más en la mira de los actores armados que actúan en la ilegalidad. Agregue a esto los efectos de la pandemia del COVID-19 y el panorama se vuelve de gran preocupación.

CSW habló con Pablo Moreno, Rector del Seminario Bautista de Cali (Unibautista) y Director de la Comisión de Paz del Consejo Colombiano de Iglesias Evangélicas (CEDECOL).

“La pandemia del COVID19 ha afectado a Colombia como todo el mundo, han sido meses de anormalidad académica, laboral y religiosa. Períodos de confinamiento han alterado el desarrollo histórico de los encuentros presenciales y ha producido un incremento de la virtualidad en todas las áreas de la vida humana.

En medio de esta situación, se ha incrementado la violencia en Colombia, grupos armados que ocuparon territorios dejados por las FARC se pelean entre sí el control del negocio del tráfico de drogas, al mismo tiempo estos grupos son usados para atemorizar a la población para que abandonen sus territorios y así puedan desarrollar la minería ilegal, la apropiación de la tierra y la expansión del dominio social en su favor.

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The cost of backtracking: delays in Colombia’s peace process risk a return to violence

Posted on 29/07/201924/06/2021 by cswpress in Colombia, Latin America

In November 2016 a revised peace agreement was signed between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–Army of the People (FARC-EP). The deal was considered a big win by many, bringing an end to a conflict which spanned over five decades and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

This celebration has been considered both “justified and premature.” In the following years parts of Colombia have enjoyed a somewhat fragile peace, but recent developments have raised concerns that this peace could shatter altogether.

Government foot-dragging

Particularly concerning is the current government’s approach to the 2016 agreement. Since his election in June 2018, the President Iván Duque Márquez-led administration has consistently slowed down the process of implementation.

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For Some, Yellow Butterflies Symbolise Hope in the Midst of Colombia’s Uncertainty

Posted on 01/11/201622/06/2021 by cswpress in Colombia, Latin America

Yellow butterflies covered every wall in the office of one of our partner organisations in Colombia.

The first butterfly was cut out and hung on a wall immediately following the signing of the peace agreement between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on 26 September 2016 in Cartagena on the northern coast of the country.

In their speeches on this momentous occasion, both President Juan Manuel Santos and Timochenco, the commander and Chief of the FARC, referred to the yellow butterflies from celebrated Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ famous novel ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’: Gabriel Garcia Marquez is remembered for his love of yellow butterflies and flowers, which signify that nothing bad will happen.

“The war is over, we are starting to build peace” – Timochenko, Commander and Chief of the FARC

During his speech, Timochenko, stated, “war is over, we are starting to build peace’’ followed by a reference to a character in the novel, Mauricio Babilonia, who is constantly followed by yellow butterflies wherever he goes, as a symbol of infinite love and hope. Ivan Marquez, the FARC’s lead negotiator stated at a national FARC conference, “Tell Mauricio Babilonia he can release the yellow butterflies,” as a direct quote from the novel.

An Unexpected Outcome

These butterflies were a clear example of the hopeful expectancy that surrounded me in Bogota. Everyone was discussing what the peace agreement would mean for the country, especially for the regions most affected by the 52 year long conflict, especially the more rural areas of Colombia.

During the 53 years of internal conflict, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. All actors during the conflict have been responsible for major human rights violations; armed actors have also been responsible for a wide range of violations of religious freedom as hundreds of religious leaders have been the victims of targeted assassinations since 2000 and many have received threats, including death threats, by neo-paramilitary groups and guerrillas. Many churches have faced extortion from armed groups or have been forcibly closed.

However, at this point in time, the national plebiscite which was due to be held on 2 October 2016 had not yet taken place and was the final step required to bring the peace agreement into force.

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The Path to Lasting Peace in Colombia Lies in Learning the Lessons of the Past

Posted on 23/03/201625/06/2021 by cswpress in Colombia, Latin America

“Maybe you who came from the cities to see us can tell us, where did mass displacement come from? Where did this Clan Úsuga come from? Where did any of these things come from? Can you tell us? We do not know.”

The Protestant pastor held his Bible tightly to his chest as he stood and said these words. He and his wife had been forcibly displaced along with a large group from their church, forced to flee their rural village to the relative safety of an urban centre, after receiving threats from Clan Úsuga, a neo-paramilitary group also known as the Urabeños, one of the largest and most powerful violent criminal groups in Colombia.

We were at a meeting with about 15 church leaders who had travelled from across the region which was infested with left-wing guerrilla groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Army of the People (FARC-EP) and National Liberation Army (ELN), as well the Urabeños and other neo-paramilitary groups. They all had similar stories to share. Most, like the pastor who asked these questions, were humble people from the countryside who had dedicated themselves to subsistence farming and their ministry. They are far, far away from the centres of power in Colombia both in terms of geographic distance and influence. Yet, as he expressed, they and the people in their communities are the ones who live and cope daily with the consequences of the decisions and agreements brokered in those centres.

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