By Ellis R. Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and the Colombian government said on May 26th that they had reached an agreement on land reform, the first of six points that could make up an eventual peace deal.
In a joint statement issued in Cuba by the FARC and the Colombian government, the sides said they had agreed on “integrated rural reform.” One of its features is a “land fund” into which millions of illegally held or underused acres of land will be placed to compensate those who have lost land or were displaced from their property.
About 5 million acres of land has been stolen from rural farmers by armed groups during the conflict, with twice that amount abandoned by those fleeing because of violence. According to the agreement, farmers will receive loans, technical assistance and marketing advice as well as legal and police protection. There will also be a ten-year effort to bring government, roads and development to the countryside.
The talks at the Havana Convention Center, which have been going on for six months, have focused almost entirely on land reform. Both delegations will take a break for several days, and then begin talks on political participation for the FARC, the second agenda point. They are set to also discuss illicit drugs, decommissioning weapons and how to handle victims of the armed conflict. The discussions are set to resume in Havana on June 11th.
Colombian government’s lead negotiator, former Vice President Humberto de la Calle, warned that there will be no peace deal until all six points have been agreed upon. Then, the final package will have to be put to a nationwide referendum for approval to ensure “national participation and transparency.” “Now we have a real opportunity to reach peace through negotiations after 50 years of armed conflict,” De la Calle said.
The agreement drew praise at the United Nations in New York, where a spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called it “a significant achievement and important step forward.” Ban “wishes both delegations further success in their efforts to reach agreement on the remaining issues and to put an end to Colombia’s long conflict,” the spokesperson said.
The Colombian government sees resolving the half-century conflict as the key to opening up the country to more investment, infrastructure projects and social programs. More than 100,000 people have died during the conflict. The conflict has also diverted billions of dollars from the economy as industries have not been able to function at full capacity and the government is forced to spend heavily on troops and weapons.
For more information please see:
France 24 — Colombia, FARC rebels reach deal on land reform — 27 May 2013
The Telegraph — Colombia reaches deal with Farc rebels over land reform — 27 May 2013
Fox News — Colombia, FARC rebels reach deal on land reform — 26 May 2013
Los Angeles Times — Colombia, FARC rebels reach deal on land reform — 26 May 2013
