Anger prevails over peace.

Anger prevails over peace.

Yesterday, October 2, 2016, Colombia voted for war over peace.

In order to understand the importance and relevance of this vote, we must recall why the largest guerrilla group in the continent is still trying to overthrow the Colombian government , and how after 52 years of war, this conflict is far from completely ended.

Revolutionary armed forces of Colombia-People´s Army (FARC-EP)  is a guerilla group created as a consequence of the murder of Gaitan, the former liberal-presidential candidate. Farmers, Indians , workers, students and those who felt unrepresented by the government adopted a Marxist-Leninist Communist ideology, which held that at the very beginning the FARC were seen by the common people as an opportunity to create change in an unjust and fragile country; even several nations ,such as Norway,Sweden and Russia perceived the movement as fresh air in a suffocated democracy.

However, years passed and the conflict extended to all the corners of the country; taking away more than two hundred-thousand lives and displacing more than five-million people from their homes. This conflict has been one of the most bloody and lengthy of the second half of the 20th century. Indeed, it is not a surprise that the United Nations name it a humanitarian crisis since more than 10.000 Colombians have been affected by landmines over the course of the war.

Five decades have passed, and neither the government nor FARC can claim victory. Despite several strikes perpetrated by the army and the death of Manuel Marulanda alias Tirofijo (Founder and leader of the FARC), and Victor Julio Suarez, alias Mono-Jojoy (Second in command), the war does not seem to diminish; paradoxically, even at this very moment, there are farmers killing farmers. The only difference is that one carries with them the badge of the army weaved in their uniforms, and the other, wears the FARC badge.

If no one can win, then do not let no one lose. That principle guided the FARC and the government to start peace talks. There have been several attempts before to end the conflict but without a solution. Either the FARC used the peace-talks and the cease fire in order to strengthen its lines and gain resources, or the government allied with Paramilitares (Private militias) committing mass-murders of farmers who were confused as FARC members. However , both sides have never been so committed in signing a highly detailed accord to end the conflict until now. The 297-page accord clarified and explained how the FARC would surrender their guns to the United Nations and how they would promise to compensate the victims and ask for pardon, among other agreements.  

Most Colombians want peace, even if that means some kind of immunity. It is true that, with the peace accord, FARC leaders who are under investigation for crimes against humanity would not face jail time , but in a country where the principal defender of the NO campaign (President Alvaro Uribe) is also under investigation for crimes against humanity, It is a fantasy to dream of with perfect justice.

It is a fact that the goal of the NO campaign was no other than to misinform and destabilize the pillars of the society, making false claims like the government will submit the power to the FARC. In other words, most of Colombians believed the past plebiscite was about choosing between the current status quo or becoming a new Socialist-Venezuela; an unacceptable situation given that dead, kidnapping and the sorrow of others is better than the lack of beer in the fridge. Starting from this is not very hard to tell how some people support the war when they are far away from the battlefield.

Yesterday, the hopes of a weeping country disappeared, because of anger and lack of forgiveness. Towns, such as Bojayá which has been deeply lashed by the conflict, voted mostly Yes in the plebiscite. In comparison, regions like Medellin ,which barely felt the impact of the war, voted NO.

All that is left is to wait for an agreement between the government and the NO campaign, but, in the meantime, how many more deaths between soldiers and farmers  are needed to stop this bloodshed?

Carlos A Mora