Colombia FARC rebels turn in weapons, sealing historic peace deal with government

World

Colombia FARC rebels turn in weapons, sealing historic peace deal with government

Colombia’s leftist FARC rebel force declared its disarmament complete on Tuesday after half a century of war against the state, bringing Latin America’s oldest civil conflict close to an end. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, turned in their remaining firearms as part of the efforts to end a long territorial and ideological conflict under a 2016 peace accord. The FARC launched its uprising in 1964 to fight for land rights and protection for poor rural communities. But the rebel group was battered deep into Colombia’s inhospitable jungles by a relentless U.S.-backed military offensive that began in 2002 during Alvaro Uribe’s presidency. Once a 17,000-strong force, the remaining 7,000 former fighters are now due to make the transition into civilian life.

The rebel group is set to transform into a political party in August. Both the rebel group and the government have promised to stamp out the drug production that has fueled the conflict, and the state promised to develop alternative sources of revenue for growers of coca who rely on profits from cocaine. Critics say the peace accord was too lenient on FARC members, as some of them will get amnesty or reduced sentences for crimes committed during the conflict. Peace with the FARC, however, is unlikely to end violence in Colombia, as the lucrative cocaine business has given rise to criminal gangs and traffickers. The last active rebel group, the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN), started talks with the government in February but has been blamed for ongoing confrontations with state forces fighting for control of the drug trade.