There is a civil war that has been raging since 1964 in Colombia, being fought between the Colombian government and their rebel groups, costing the Colombian people their homes, lives, families, embedding fear into the people, giving the people uncertainty and little hope. There has been riots, talks of peace, but also rejection of the peace, and the people of Colombia are being misinformed of the civil war that is raging right outside their doors. Firstly, Alvaro Uribe, was the president of Colombia from 2002 until 2010. His campaign pursued tougher policies and conditions for FARC(a Colombian rebel group). The campaign was also backed by drug traffickers and large landowners. Drug trafficking, ironically, is one of FARC’s main means of income.
…show more content…
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC began in 1964 and is still active today, but many of its members are leaving and being accepted back into society. Their leader, Rodrigo Londono or “Timochenko” has been recently publicly speaking and also trying to reach peace with the Colombian government. FARC boasts anti-imperialism and agrarian ideologies. They have been linked to 12% of civilian killings. Their means of income are kidnapping, ransom, illegal mining, extortion, and drug trafficking. Their size ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 people. Secondly, The National Liberation Army or ELN also started in 1964 and just recently began to start peace talks with the Colombian government. They are lead by Antonio Garcia and believe in a Marxist and liberation ideology. They conduct military and guerrilla operations as a means of income. They are also smaller than FARC, consist of about 2,500 people, and are classified as …show more content…
When the AUC demobilized nobody protested the large amount of benefits they received. FARC met with village locals to discuss peace, but this story was hidden behind the public’s resentment towards the locals. At the same time of the FARC incident, paramilitary soldiers gathered at a courthouse to await the trial of their AUC leader. Nobody batted an eye because of the FARC incident covering it up. The public also has a very warped perception of the war. 32% of Colombians say that FARC is responsible for the war, but experts say otherwise. These people are also blaming themselves for their civil war, which could also be a reason they voted no. In the articles on the paramilitaries, the writers dull their actions and never once use the term ‘paramilitaries’. These articles also don’t stress the attacks committed by the rebels and they present the military's claims as facts.
The people of Colombia need to realize that if they don’t vote ‘yes’ to the peace deals, that the war will keep continuing until one side destroys the other. Colombian government and their rebel groups need to be able to come to terms and create a peace deal that the public would agree with and vote yes. When the war is over, the Colombian people will still have to cope with their lost homes, lives, hurt families, cope with the fear and uncertainty given to them by the rebels and government,
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC began in 1964 and is still active today, but many of its members are leaving and being accepted back into society. Their leader, Rodrigo Londono or “Timochenko” has been recently publicly speaking and also trying to reach peace with the Colombian government. FARC boasts anti-imperialism and agrarian ideologies. They have been linked to 12% of civilian killings. Their means of income are kidnapping, ransom, illegal mining, extortion, and drug trafficking. Their size ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 people. Secondly, The National Liberation Army or ELN also started in 1964 and just recently began to start peace talks with the Colombian government. They are lead by Antonio Garcia and believe in a Marxist and liberation ideology. They conduct military and guerrilla operations as a means of income. They are also smaller than FARC, consist of about 2,500 people, and are classified as …show more content…
When the AUC demobilized nobody protested the large amount of benefits they received. FARC met with village locals to discuss peace, but this story was hidden behind the public’s resentment towards the locals. At the same time of the FARC incident, paramilitary soldiers gathered at a courthouse to await the trial of their AUC leader. Nobody batted an eye because of the FARC incident covering it up. The public also has a very warped perception of the war. 32% of Colombians say that FARC is responsible for the war, but experts say otherwise. These people are also blaming themselves for their civil war, which could also be a reason they voted no. In the articles on the paramilitaries, the writers dull their actions and never once use the term ‘paramilitaries’. These articles also don’t stress the attacks committed by the rebels and they present the military's claims as facts.
The people of Colombia need to realize that if they don’t vote ‘yes’ to the peace deals, that the war will keep continuing until one side destroys the other. Colombian government and their rebel groups need to be able to come to terms and create a peace deal that the public would agree with and vote yes. When the war is over, the Colombian people will still have to cope with their lost homes, lives, hurt families, cope with the fear and uncertainty given to them by the rebels and government,