Who are...the FARC ?
A Deep Conflict...
From 1948 to 1953, Colombia was plunged into a bloody civil war, opposing the liberals, therefore the communists and the socialists, against the conservatives. For one reason, the assassination of Jorge Elicier Gaitan, liberal candidate in the presidential election. This period of unprecedented violence called "la violencia" causes the death of more than 300,000 Colombians. However, in 1953 a General Rojas Pinilla carried out a coup to put an end to the bloodbath. This coup d'etat is hailed by a major part of the political class who deem it necessary to restore peace. To avoid any resumption of the conflict, the 2 main parties of the country, namely the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party, decided to join forces in a National Front to co-manage the country. If this union put an end to the majority of the guerrillas, several communist ministers decided to refuse peace and to unite by forming the FARCS in May 1964. The FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas communist involved in the Colombian armed conflict. This communist movement claims Bolivar, the general who allowed the independence of several South American countries. They quickly obtain the support of many peasants experiencing social misery, and the control of many territories in Colombia. The FARC will make this control of the territory a major asset. For a long time, they will set up a tax levied on cattle breeders, but quickly, they will mainly turn to more lucrative and criminal activities. The first of these activities is none other than cocaine. Indeed, in each controlled territory, the FARCS allowed the production of cocaine to take place, but levied a tax at each stage of production. This real "business" was successful, the FARCS were the first producers of cocaine in the world and collected nearly 100,000,000 dollars a year thanks to this tax. The other lucrative criminal activity was holding hostages. Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian presidential candidate, was detained for more than 6 years between 2002 and 2008. In 2012, however, the FARC announced the end of kidnappings.
...Seeming Endless
The conflict between the state and the FARC was probably the most important guerrilla warfare in the world. At its peak, the FARC numbered nearly 18,000 combatants, and if indeed, after the 2000s, the government succeeded in weakening the FARC, it will not succeed in regaining control of all the territories. The consequences of this conflict are terrible for the population. In 60 years, there have been nearly 220,000 victims and more than 80% of them are civilians. Another striking figure to understand the extent of the conflict, almost 6,000,000 people have been displaced, or 13% of the population. In the midst of the conflict are also the paramilitary groups, not supported by the government, which have played a very important role. Indeed, the United Forces of Colombia, the main paramilitary group and opposed to the FARCS until 2006, are in fact responsible for 80% of the murders of the conflict, according to the UN. After more than 50 years of tension, the FARC and Colombia have therefore decided to make room for dialogue in order to reach a peace agreement. This peace agreement, to be validated, will then have to be submitted to the Colombian people by referendum at the beginning of October 2017. The text first stipulates a definitive ceasefire, then a disarmament of the FARC, the end of their drug trafficking, the dismantling of the paramilitaries, and other points that led a majority of Colombians to vote against the peace agreement. Indeed, the agreement also stipulates that even if the FARC are responsible for drug trafficking, kidnapping, recruitment of child soldiers, many crimes, they will be able to avoid prison if they confess their crimes. Moreover, with this peace agreement, the FARC become a political movement which will have as a guarantee five seats in the two Legislative Assemblies. If for many this peace agreement is synonymous with forgiveness, for others it is actually a weakness of the government in the face of the FARC. This is probably what prompted so many Colombians to vote against the peace accord. A number of politicians, including former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, have also denounced the impunity granted to the FARC. Peace survived after the referendum, the two parties indeed committed to continue the ceasefire, and moreover, Juan Manuel Santos obtained the Nobel Peace Prize, encouraging the maintenance of the peace process, despite the vote.