Debate Intensifies before FARC Plebiscite
The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist-Leninist rebel group, have signed a peace agreement that could put an end to the civil war lasting over fifty years. However, government ratification of the agreement depends on the results of a national plebiscite, which will be held on October 2. FARC and government negotiators agreed on a peace deal in late August, ending nearly four years of negotiations held in Cuba, according to the BBC. Under the terms of the agreement, the government will guarantee rural land reform and political participation for FARC. In exchange, FARC must lay down its weapons, and its members must submit to transitional justice.
Current Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos leads the faction in favor of ratifying the peace agreement. In remarks delivered before the United Nations in New York, Santos said “Colombia should give hope to the world.” He also emphasized the importance of ending the conflict that has killed almost 220,000 Colombians.
Former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe, who took a hard line against FARC while in office, leads the “No” faction. He and his supporters argue that the peace agreement is too lenient toward the militants and that its ratification would be akin to a “surrender” to FARC.
While Uribe draws much of his support from Colombians living in rural areas that have been most affected by the conflict, some Colombians who have been hurt by the war still advocate reconciliation. Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian politician, as well as a FARC captive for six years, is among those in the “Yes” camp. Although she has recognized the agreement’s leniency, she has publicly stated in the Colombian newspaper Semana that the opportunity for a peaceful future supersedes all else.
Despite Colombians’ reluctance to “give in” to a peace agreement with the former FARC guerrilla, polls indicates that approximately 70 percent of voters will support the peace accords, while only 30 percent will vote against.