FARC- granted amnesty AGAIN!

On 10 June 2017, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos has signed a decree granting amnesty to another 3,600 members of the FARC rebel group. It is the third and final amnesty decree signed by Mr Santos. More than 7,000 rebels in total have been granted amnesty or released from prison as part of their reintegration into Colombian society. Last month the FARC completed its disarmament process. The rebels handed all its 7,000 registered weapons to the United Nations mission in Colombia. The United Nations Security Council voted to set up a new mission in the country, which from September will oversee the implementation of the peace deal.

Who are the FARC? Columbia before FARC?

Even before the formation of FARC, Colombia was not peaceful country. FAARC was found after 10 years of civil war in Columbia. During the period known as La Violencia, at least 200,000 people were killed. La Violencia was triggered by the assassination in 1948 of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, a popular presidential candidate for the Liberal Party.

It was found in 1964 by small farmers and labourers to fight landlessness and economic inequality on the lines of Marxist-Leninist ideology. It has been involved in an internal armed conflict with the Colombian government for about five decades. This has resulted in large losses of property and lives. FARC derives funds primarily from Cocaine trade & is considered as one of the richest rebel group in the world.

Analysis

In 1964, the Marxist rebel group was found to defend the rights of landless peasants. It entered into formal peace negotiations with the government in 2012. The talks were held in Cuba and lasted for four years.

In a referendum which was held in October 2016, the final agreement was rejected by the Colombian people. But a reviewed version was approved by Congress a month later.

The FARC has agreed to give up its armed struggle to become a political party.

A key part of the agreement was the rebels' reintegration to civilian life. It was agreed that all FARC members who did not commit serious crimes would be granted amnesty.

The three decrees signed by Mr Santos have benefited 6,005 former rebels. Another 1,400 who were serving prison sentences have been released in the past few months.

Following the success of the FARC negotiations, Colombia's second rebel group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN, also entered formal peace talks.

Assessment

Our assessment is that, the Columbian government has to work hard to ensure that such economic asymmetry does not happen again. The move to give amnesty is a welcome step as this provides a platform for reconciliation. This is a highly important lesson for the countries having internal conflicts especially in South Asia. On the economic side, it is important for governments to remember that in their drive for industrial development, they should not overlook the concern of the farmers and the economically disadvantaged.