Colombia’s demobilizing FARC rebels on three occasions violated a ceasefire in place since August last year while the government on two occasions failed to comply to the pact, according to the ceasefire monitoring group.
The delegates of the government, the FARC and the United Nations said the guerrillas violated the ceasefire on January 10 in the southern Caqueta department when members of the group opened fire at dissident member “Mojoso.”
The dissident guerrilla reportedly survived, but a woman who was with him was killed in the “very serious violation.”
On January 16, the FARC committed what the commission deemed a “minor violation” When five armed members of the group were found and detained by police while leaving the provisional camp in San Miguel, Guaviare where they had been staying while waiting for formal demobilization and disarmament camps to be constructed.
On one occasion, the demobilizing guerrilla group “was non-compliant” of the ceasefire agreed between the former warring parties two days later when within a group of presumed unarmed guerrillas “we determined that two of them were carrying handguns” in Los Pinos, a township in the southwestern Cauca province.
The military also failed to comply with the ceasefire on two occasions.
The first incident took place on December 31 when “members of the security forces carried out an operation within 3,000 meters” of the FARC’s temporary pre-demobilization camp in the northern Cesar province.
Almost four weeks later, on January 24, three soldiers in an army truck entered entered a provisional FARC camp in Cesar where heavily armed FARC guerrillas were waiting to enter their demobilization and disarmament camps.
The three-party monitoring mission was put in place to prevent and investigate irregularities or incidents of violence in the period between the beginning of the ceasefire in August and the FARC’s final disarmament that is expected to be completed within six months.
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One the country’s largest guerrilla group is demobilized and disarmed, a 10-year peace process will seek to heal the deep wounds left by more than 50 year of extreme political violence between the Marxist guerrillas, the state and an array of other armed actors.
The reported civilian killed in Guaviare is the first registered conflict-related death since the ceasefire was called.
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There have been rumors of infighting between members loyal to the peace process and dissidents in the south, but these rumors could never be substantiated with evidence.
The reported violations and acts of non-compliance are only applicable to registered members of the FARC and members of the security forces.
Crimes committed by dissident FARC groups who have formed primarily in the coca-rich south of the country are not counted.
Conflict-related crimes by other illegal armed groups also fall under the jurisdiction of normal authorities.
Meanwhile, paramilitary successor groups, dissident of the now-defunct AUC paramilitary group, have assassinated dozens of civilians since peace was signed, causing major public security concerns in areas where the police and military have yet to fill the power vacuum left by the country’s oldest and largest rebel group.