ReD Youth meet Timochenko and teach Colombians to navigate the uncertainty of transition by nurturing a culture of dialogue

February 04 / 2020

Since December 2016, 185 FARC-EP ex-combatants have been killed and 29 assassination attempts have occurred. In January 2020 alone, five murders and two assassination attempts were reported. The alarming levels of insecurity around Ituango’s Reincorporation Zone in Antioquia have led 60 FARC ex-combatants and their families to take the decision to relocate within the next two months.

Despite constant requests by the FARC Party and civil society for the implementation of comprehensive security measures in the most conflict-affected territories where reincorporation is happening, there is instead a militarisation of the territories.

This is incapable of dismantling non-state criminal armed actors, restricting the space for dialogue and closing opportunities for social cohesion. Communities and ex-combatants feel let down by the government and are waiting for full implementation of the peace agreement.

Embrace Dialogue condemns the violence against FARC ex-combatants and their families, which affects the communities around them. We call again for an urgent and effective response from the Colombian government; and encourage national and international peace stakeholders to continue joining efforts to guarantee the safety of ex-combatants and their families and ensure comprehensive solutions to communities at risk.

We invite “pro-peace networks” to not give in to frustration, but keep your eyes on the horizon and protect the “peace pockets” that remain. We stress the importance of nurturing a culture of dialogue to navigate the stormy waters of transition. ReD Youth is an example and an inspiration to follow. In the middle of the violence against the FARC, on 1 Feb 2020, they sat down with former commander in chief of the FARC, Rodrigo Londoño (Timochenko), to talk about the wrongdoings of the past, his decision to give up violence as a means to transform society, to offer solidarity for the killings of ex-combatants, and to teach us all co-responsibility for building peace.