Peace Process In Colombia: Armed Groups Sow New Conflicts Even As War With FARC Ends

Ending 52 years of civil war in Colombia was never expected to be an easy task. After the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a peace agreement, the country is now in a critical implementation phase. 

Reporting from the town of Argelia in western Colombia, The Guardian's Sibylla Brodzinsky outlines the current risks of a return to war or the rise of new conflicts. In her piece, she notes that new armed groups – some of them long-established – are violently occupying the regions left behind by FARC, wrestling control of illegal gold mines, the cocaine trade, and other sources of revenue formerly controlled by FARC rebels.

The largest remaining faction is the National Liberation Army (ELN), which is taking part in peace talks with the government – they recently announced the end of the first round of negotiations, claiming progress in the path to developing a pilot project for humanitarian de-mining. Despite the rhetoric, however, the reality on the ground is that they are trying to secure control and increase their influence. 

The ELN is also involved in a long-running conflict with a drug trafficking organization called the Urabeños. Clashes between the two groups have resulted in at least a thousand people displaced since the start of the year. And 156 social activists, seen by the warring factions as a threat to their illegal activities, have been killed in the last 14 months country-wide.

As these troubles mount, the government should speed up peace talks with the ELN. Delay could further new kinds of conflict as the remaining militias look to boost their influence and finances.