The Marxist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were removed Tuesday, November 30 from the blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations drawn up by the United States, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.
Today’s revocation of FARC’s terrorist designations is a credit to the 2016 Peace Accord with the Colombian governm… https://t.co/MEfLFvdbQT
He recalled that the FARC, a movement of peasants who took up arms in the 1960s, during the cold war, had been officially dissolved after a peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2016 and no longer existed as an organization. unified engaging in terrorism. On the other hand, two FARC dissident groups, La Segunda Marquetalia and the FARC-EP, or People’s Army, have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, he added.
This removal of the FARC from the blacklist in no way modifies the position of the United States relating to the legal proceedings initiated or envisaged against former FARC officials, in particular suspected of drug trafficking, said Mr. Blinken.
The withdrawal of the designation “terrorist” will allow the United States to work for the implementation of the Colombian agreement, he declared. US government agencies, such as the Agency for International Development, will be able to intervene in areas of Colombia where there are demobilized FARC soldiers.
From guerrilla warfare to politics
The 2016 peace accord ended more than five decades of armed conflict that left more than 260,000 dead and millions displaced. Colombia commemorated on Wednesday this agreement which allowed this movement to transform into a legal political party, Comunes, with guaranteed representation in Parliament but without real influence at the polls. The text provided for political and agrarian reforms – the question of land is a key to the conflict – which in theory should be implemented by 2031.
While this agreement has significantly reduced violence, many armed groups continue to rage in the country, including the two FARC dissident groups, which have exploited the void left in the mountains by the departure of the former guerrillas.