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Related: About this forumFARC urges government to dismantle neo-paramilitary forces
FARC urges government to dismantle neo-paramilitary forces
Posted by Adriaan Alsema on Jul 10, 2015
Colombias largest rebel group FARC urged the government on Thursday to effectively dismantle paramilitary organizations, fearing that these right-wing drug trafficking groups will violently frustrate the guerrillas reintegration if peace is reached.
The FARC has been engaged in peace talks with the government since November 2012 in an attempt to leave behind decades of drug-fueled political violence and become a political movement.
After initially refusing to disarm, the FARC said it was willing to lay down its weapons, but needed guarantees that its disarmed members wouldnt be subject to a political extermination campaign.
The UP trauma
Following a peace deal with then-President Belisario Betancur (Conservative Party) in 1985, the FARC joined other leftist forces to form the Patriotic Union, a far-left political party that sought the political inclusion of the FARC and other leftist forces.
However, following its formation the party became subject to an extermination campaign by right-wing paramilitary forces who in conjunction with politicians and elements within the military killed thousands of supporters and leaders of the party, including two presidential candidates.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/farc-urges-government-to-dismantle-neo-paramilitary-forces/
forest444
(5,902 posts)Too busy having fun with U.S. taxpayer money.
Judi Lynn
(160,682 posts)they are treated to a lifestyle, among government and military officials they know, as do we, they could never experience without continuing the illusion they must fight the leftists perpetually.
They would dry up and blow away without constant coddling and bribing.
In return, the U.S. gov't gets what Donald Rumsfeld termed a "forward operating base" (7 all over Colombia), also known as "lily pad", from which aggression can be launched in any direction.
The only people who lose are the massive poor population of Colombia, all the displaced people of Colombia, 2nd largest in the world, and the struggling U.S. taxpayers who aren't wealthy enough to obtain special favors like tax loopholes from the government they support under penalty of law.