The civil war which started in Colombia back in 1964 has finally come to an end, after a peace treaty that took place in Cuba between the Colombian government and the rebel forces.
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With the war over with FARC, the challenge in the months ahead for the government of Juan Manuel Santos is to convince Colombians that the Final Accord is the only one attainable and necessary outcome to end years dialogue and decades of bloodshed.
At a news conference in the Cuban capital, the Colombian delegation urged people to vote in October’s referendum on the deal.
Before delivering the peace deal to the leader of the national legislature, Mauricio Lizcano, Santos described the agreement as a historic reality that will change the face of Colombia for the better..
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos visited Washington earlier this year, when he and Obama both hailed prospects for peace between the government and FARC rebels. As head of the Latin America Desk for CAFOD, Clare Dixon has visited Colombia many times and closely followed the peace process.
Some of the Colombians are skeptical regarding the peace, reacting with caution, while others already went out in the streets to celebrate, waving the Colombian flag and holding balloons on which the word “Yes” was written.
Few Colombians are likely to read the entire accord, a sprawling text that seems at once a political manifestation of historic grievances, romantic ideals and technical legal language that only a constitutional lawyer could appreciate.
If the deal is approved, FARC will have non-voting representation in Congress until 2018 and can participate in elections. The US president, Barack Obama, also welcomed the deal.
The accord commits Colombia’s government to carrying out aggressive land reform, overhauling its anti-narcotics strategy and greatly expanding the state’s presence in long-neglected areas. “We do not want there to be one more victim in Colombia”.
Santos’ plebiscite is not without risks.
Colombia’s opposition is likely to try to convert the vote into a referendum on Santos, whose approval rating plummeted to 21 percent in May, according to a Gallup poll.
Opponents of the deal, led by former President Alvaro Uribe, say it gives rebels amnesty for too many crimes and is unfair to law-abiding citizens because it calls for subsidizing fighters as they leave jungle and mountain hideouts to look for work. That is the lowest since he took office in 2010.
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After the agreement is signed the date is still unknown the FARC will begin mobilizing its troops to 31 zones scattered across Colombia.
