Ministry of Defence: We thought the peace accords would improve the lives of many, but it only lasted 3 years

From Vistahermosa, to Meta, the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, questioned the peace agreements reached by previous governments which, by not respecting them, ended up generating situations of violence in the country.

During the security council in which, together with the military and police leaders, the governorate of the meta and the local authorities of Vistahermosa analyzed in depth the “situation of the department for the development of human security and the construction of a policy of total peace” – after the complaints generated by the clashes between armed groups in the area – the head of the ministry took a moment to reflect on the agreements that, in the past, generated hope and a desire to peace, but, either because they were ambitious or lazy, they did not fulfill their mission.

Hundreds of kilometers away, in Mexico City, this debate is materializing. The second round of talks between the Petro government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) is far from the first attempt at peace with the armed group. The governments of Julio César Turbay, César Gaviria, Ernesto Samper, Andrés Pastrana, Álvaro Uribe and Juan Manuel Santos have tried before, but, as has become evident under the Duque administration, they did not succeed.

Thus, according to Velásquez, each failed attempt only generated more violence: “To the extent that agreements are reached that are not respected, what can be generated is more violence, more obstacles to the construction peace and democracy”.

The last time there was talk of a peace agreement; that is to say, in 2016 between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the extinct FARC-EP, the victims of the violence generated by the confrontation between the State-FARC armed groups thought that their lives would be much better with the signing of the agreements in Havana, but this, according to the minister, lasted only three years.

During the first year of the Duque government, implementation and peace policy lost momentum, resources intended for the reparation and reincorporation of former FARC members were diverted to other causes. Non-compliance and the lack of guarantees have led hundreds of men who today form part of the ranks of dissidents to take up arms again.

Thus, the Minister underlined his commitment, not only to the talks in Mexico, but also to the bilateral ceasefires agreed with the Segunda Marquetalia, the Central Staff, the AGC and the Self-Defense Forces of Sierra Nevada, until June 30:

“We are committed to building democracy, better living conditions, to making the social and democratic rule of law a reality in the territories, to making Colombia a world power of life.”

Once the security council, which seeks to deal with the dramatic increase in complaints of extortion and other coercive practices against the population, is over, the minister promised to meet with the director of police, General Henry Armando Sanabria Cely, in the next few days. ., to work on three points: generate effective actions against extortion, insist on the construction of tertiary roads in the municipalities and rural areas of Meta and the construction of programs in the region aimed at the development of its inhabitants.

This was announced by the Ministry of Defense after the meeting:

“At the end of the Security Council in #VistaHermosa, Meta, it was determined: define with the Director of the National Police (General Henry Armando Sanabria Cely) more effective actions against extortion, the need for tertiary roads in municipalities and rural areas and projects that bring progress to the population”.