By Richard McColl
BOGOTA, Colombia
A joint demining effort by the Colombian military and FARC rebels begins Monday after an agreement was reached between the two sides in Havana, Cuba.
“The guerrilla is working today together with members of the army to demine a region of the country and it seems to me to be one of the most profound displays to create and develop confidence and closing the recent chapter of hatred, this is what I am looking for at all costs,” said President Juan Manuel Santos on La W radio.
A team of 48 soldiers will work alongside three members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) from the Frente 36, including guerrilla Hector alias Pecueco – an expert in locating and disarming landmines. Colombia is one of the most mine-affected countries in the world, with more than 10,900 recorded deaths and injuries from landmines since 1990, according to the Halo Trust – the world’s largest land mine removal organization
The demining effort takes place against a backdrop of notable tensions in the peace dialogues that have been ongoing since November 2012.
A recent increase in violence has caused Colombians to begin to lose patience with the process that has been stalled for more than a year on the issue of justice for the victims of the conflict.
Santos declared to the nation on Sunday that there would be no amnesties granted to guerrillas and that he agreed to investigate the possibility of a scaling back of military actions, while the FARC announced late last week a month-long unilateral cease-fire beginning July 20.
“This is a process to reduce the intensity of the conflict,” Santos said Monday. “The FARC has said that they will begin a unilateral cease-fire and that they will not attack. We have begun to discuss how we can reduce the intensity of military offensives against the FARC as a reciprocal gesture,” he continued.
But perhaps the most important detail from Santos was the possibility of a cease-fire with the FARC. “In four months from now, depending on whether the FARC fulfil their end, I will take the decision whether we continue with the process or not.”
Santos suggested that in November there may be an evaluation of the results of the descaling of the conflict and the advances in negotiations, and then perhaps committing to a definitive bilateral cease-fire.
While Santos continues to believe in the FARC’s desire to reach a negotiated end to the Colombian conflict, there are voices of dissent.
“The experiences from previous bilateral cease-fires are clear, they permit the FARC to strengthen themselves militarily,” Attorney General Alejandro Ordóñez said during an interview with El Espectador newspaper on Monday.
The former presidential hopeful and current Director of the opposition Center Democratic party Oscar Zuluaga told Blu Radio: “When Colombians look at the FARC’s announcement we’ll ask ourselves how is this different from any before? The FARC commit permanent attacks in more than 10 departments so how can a scaling back even be possible?,” he asked.
