Former FARC member have sent a letter to Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticizing the stalled implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the former guerrillas and the Colombian state.
The letter, signed by ex-guerrilla Diego Tovar—who recently addressed the United Nations Security Council—denounces the lack of progress and raises alarm over the growing number of murders of ex-combatants.
Demobilized FARC criticize Colombia’s Peace Accord Implementation
In a week marked by the murders of three former guerrillas within just 24 hours, Diego Tovar, an ex-FARC member who recently addressed the UN, called on President Petro to take concrete action to ensure the security of peace signatories and fully implement the Peace Accord.
Tovar accused the Colombian government of relying on a “trial and error” approach that has left hundreds of ex-combatants and social leaders defenseless.
He warned that the agreement’s implementation is “weakening every day,” noting that, according to his records, 458 signatories have been killed. For the former guerrilla, this is a scandal that undermines the promise of a “stable and lasting peace.”
“Selective assassinations, political violence, and threats persist; we are terrified that they will become normalized,” emphasizes the demobilized guerrilla in the letter.
He joins the calls of Rodrigo Londoño, the last commander of the now-defunct guerrilla, and Pastor Alape, along with other ex-combatants who have urged President Petro to take urgent action.
President Petro’s claims and unfulfilled promises
The former guerrilla and President Gustavo Petro both addressed the United Nations Security Council in July last year, to discuss the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
At the time, Petro pledged to the international body to uphold the Unilateral State Declaration and advance the full implementation of the accord. However, Tovar now argues that this commitment “has not had much effect”.
“The comprehensive implementation of the agreement continues to face significant obstacles, and the ‘trial and error’ approach that has defined several of its institutions has prevented us from achieving a true shift in era,” reads the letter from Diego Tovar, also known as Federico Montes.
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‘Prioritizing the common interest and eradicating improvisation from institutions’
According to the public letter, former guerrillas blame bureaucracy and the dismantling of institutional frameworks for the slow implementation of the Peace Accord. One emblematic case they highlight is the dissolution of the High Counselor’s Office for the Stabilization and Consolidation of the Peace Agreement, a decision made by the current government.
“Without this institutional framework, it has become clear that the state, due to its structural issues, resists moving toward comprehensive implementation. Restoring it would give us the opportunity to refine the regulatory framework more effectively, adapting it to the challenges that peace in Colombia faces today,” the letter states.
Diego Tovar calls for “prioritizing the common interest” when shaping the country’s governance strategies, beyond the limits of presidential terms. “Let us eradicate institutional improvisation and develop new actions to comprehensively tackle this scourge,” the letter concludes.