Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC, have carried out more than 150 attacks since they lifted their self-imposed unilateral ceasefire last month, reported a conflict monitoring group.
The ceasefire was declared in December 2014. During the five month ceasefire, there were reportedly only about 90 acts of violence. In contrast, the numbers shown over the past month since the ceasefire was lifted have not been seen in Colombia since 2011.
The majority of the attacks have been against petroleum infrastructure, with 40 incidents. The second highest statistic was only 26, which was for “attacks with explosive artifacts,” according to the Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation.
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FARC suspends unilateral ceasefire after military air strike kills at least 26 guerrillas
The ceasefire was suspended after a military attack that killed at least 26 FARC members, including two of the rebel group’s negotiators at peace talks currently ongoing in Havana, Cuba.
This attack was in response to a breach of the ceasefire weeks beforehand, in which a FARC unit killed at least 11 soldiers in a surprise attack on a military unit in Cauca. This attack prompted President Juan Manuel Santos to respond with a resumption in air strikes he had suspended five weeks earlier in an attempt to deescalate the violence.
Despite the recent uptick in violence, negotiations still continue in Havana, Cuba between the Colombian government and the FARC.
The rebels and the government have since the beginning of the talks in November 2012 signed partial agreements on political participation, rural reform and the FARC’s abandoning of drug trafficking.
Before an eventual deal to end more than 50 years of conflict is signed, the negotiating teams in Havana, Cuba will have to agree on two more agenda points: Victims and End of Conflict.
These negotiations have been slow as neither party seems to know how to adequately punish war crimes committed in the past five decades and how to compensate the more than 7 million victims left by the violence.
Sources
Del cese al fuego unilateral de las Farc a la confrontación armada
Acciones violentas volvieron al mismo nivel que en 2011: Paz y Reconciliación
Fundación Paz y Reconciliación
A un mes del cese al fuego unilateral de las Farc, se presentaron 157 acciones violentas