Violence Clouds Recent Progress On Colombia's Peace Process

Colombia in November signed a peace deal with the FARC guerrillas. There is welcome progress in its implementation, but as Manuel Rueda reports for Deutsche Welle, "large swathes of the county are still mired in violence, as smaller armies try to gain control of the territory". 

FARC turns to politics

After four years of talks, the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) struck a peace deal that included controversial terms, including amnesty for most rank-and-file members and allowing commanders to run for office. On September 1, FARC relaunched as a new political party (Common Alternative Revolutionary Force).

The ex-guerrillas are, as The Economist says, proving their willingness to break with the past. But the peace process remains a contentious issue among Colombians, and former FARC territories are mired in violence. Some of these areas have seen murder rates increase by up to 800%, demonstrating the government's inability to guarantee peace in these areas (Spanish). 

FARC was not the only armed guerrilla in the country, but after their disarmament, and the recent commitment of the National Liberation Army (ELN) to a 102-day truce, the Colombian government can account for progress. But as most of FARC's assets and territories remain under dispute by other criminal factions — as InsightCrime reports — it will be hard to ensure recent achievements are sustained in time.