Colombian rebel group the FARC asked the organization of South American nations UNASUR to mediate their conflict with the government, citing their “uncompromisable determination to seek a political solution.”
In a letter to UNASUR, the guerrillas’ Central Command says it is willing to attend a meeting of the international organization to present its version of the conflict with the Colombian state.
According to the FARC, “the humanitarian crisis in Colombia demands mobilization and continental solidarity.”
The guerrillas accuse the United States of seeking to dominate Latin America through its presence in Colombia, and blame Colombia’s “oligarchy” for the millions of displaced people, extrajudicial executions by the army, and the forced disappearance of political dissidents.
“Peace with social justice, not war, has been the strategic objective of the FARC since its foundation in 1964,” the guerrillas said in their call to be invited to UNASUR.
The FARC is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Europe and has frequently been condemned by human rights organizations for the recruitment of children and the use of landmines.