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Embrace Dialogue Academia 7: A New Cycle of War in Colombia?
In this seminar Prof. Francisco Gutiérrez presents his latest book, “A New Cycle of War in Colombia?”, with comments from Prof. Jenny Pearce
Posts
Proposals for a Comprehensive and Sustainable Reincorporation
Growing public and economic insecurity has seen the death of more than 250 ex-combatants (or peace signatories, as former members of this guerrilla refer to themselves), and many more of them forcibly displaced. This is compounded by a lack of progress in the implementation of the National Reincorporation Policy (Conpes 3931), and more generally of the Framework for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement. This, and other reasons, led more than 2000 peace signatories to march from various territories in Colombia to the capital Bogotá, to deliver their proposals to the President. This snapshot analyses in more detail their proposals.
Auto 019: The JEP Attributes Responsibility for the First Time
On 26 January 2021, the Chamber for the Recognition of Truth, Responsibility and Determination of Conduct (SRVR) of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) issued its first ruling: Auto 019 of 2021. This sets out the crimes and practices committed by former members of the FARC-EP Secretariat, and explicitly makes them accountable for the crimes investigated in Case 001. This order (Auto) represents the JEP’s first formal ruling that attributes responsibility. It highlights the participation of victims, and how information has been collected and verified in order to establish the truth about the former FARC-EP’s methods and practices in Case 001.
This snapshot analyses some of the key points within Auto 019 that are essential for the peace process to progress, for comprehensive reparation to be made to victims, and for Colombian society to be reconciled.
2021: A CRITICAL YEAR FOR THE JEP
2021 is a critical year for the JEP. According to experts in peace processes, the first five years after a peace accord are the most decisive ones, because a conflict is more likely to reignite during that period. With the 2016 Peace Agreement entering its fifth year of implementation, it is not only the JEP’s decisions that are important in 2021, but also the political, institutional, and social context surrounding the agreement. This snapshot sets out some of the key elements that will define the work of the JEP this year.
The FARC’s Progress Before the JEP
Over the last few months, the leaders of the FARC Party (Common Alternative Revolutionary Force) have publicly admitted their responsibility for crimes they committed during the armed conflict. In early October, in a letter directed to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), they admitted to the murders of the conservative leader Álvaro Gómez Hurtado and five others. This followed a letter released in September 2020, within which the FARC both acknowledged their responsibility for kidnappings that they had carried out and asked for forgiveness from the victims. In August, the FARC also began giving testimony about the recruitment of minors. In this snapshot, we look at the progress made by the FARC Party in offering truth and acknowledging its responsibilities before the JEP.
The State of Implementation of the Colombian Peace Agreement
On 9 July 2020, Embrace Dialogue and the Kroc Institute held a public dialogue to discuss ‘The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies’ Fourth Report on the state of implementation of the 2016 Final Peace Accord’, examining the period December 2018- November 2019.
FARC’s Peace Signatories – Challenges and Creative Solutions to COVID-19
This snapshot summarises the highlights of our event, “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Reincorporation of the FARC in Colombia”. We heard from FARC ex-combatants from the formerly named Territorial Spaces for Training and Reincorporation (ETCRs in Spanish), and Laura Villa, representative for the FARC in the National Reincorporation Council (CNR), who discussed the challenges they faced before and during the pandemic, and how they are providing creative solutions to this global crisis from their territories.
The Commitment of Former Combatants with the Truth Commission
The participation of former combatants in the Truth Commission, particularly commanders of armed groups, is key for realising one of the Commission’s principal objectives: establishing which actors were responsible for atrocities committed in the armed conflict. This will also help the Commission clarify how and in what ways the conflict developed over the decades. This Snapshot analyses recent progress on this issue.
Education as a Strategy for Reincorporation
Access to education for ex-guerrillas and their families, who are in the process of reincorporation, is key for the promotion of social justice and equality in Colombia. This snapshot explores the progress and challenges of education in some of the areas of reincorporation where former members of the FARC guerrilla have decided to rebuild their lives with their families.