La FARC Case Study

Since the 1950s, Colombia has been marked by violence, bombings, and assassinations which has hindered its progress into being considered a developed country. On October 2nd, 2016, after several years of negotiations, the government and the Marxist rebel group La FARC, agreed on an official peace treaty, ending the civil war that has plagued the country. It was then laid out in a referendum whether the populace supported “yes” or “no” towards the deal. According to the BBC (2016), most polling stations suspected a dramatic majority of voters supporting the deal. However, the BBC (2016) reported the shock result, where the “no” movement won by less than a percentage, which has left the country in uncertainty. Once one of the top five happiest …show more content…
To understand the potential affect the deal could have had, it is crucial to understand its greatest proponents. WOLA (2016) lists that La FARC fighters would have disarmed, handing over their weapons to United Nations inspectors, who would ensure that the political group would give up their arms. They would have become a legal political party with five seats in both houses of congress in the 2018 and 2022 elections which would have had an impact on the political agenda of the country in the future. Another aspect is that those who confessed to their crimes in detail would not serve prison sentences, but they would have to help repair the country: clearing land mines, repairing infrastructure and helping victims. Then fighters who demobilized would receive financial support, temporarily earning a little less than minimum wage from the government to reintegrate into society. Lastly, La FARC would have to give up its financial assets which includes many cocaine and heroin plantations set across the rainforests in the South. Some of the main components are very controversial for many and it is important to analyze the implications of the aspects of the deal and what the populace thought of