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From guerrilla to party. What has happened to the FARC in 5 years of peace?

From guerrilla to party.  What has happened to the FARC in 5 years of peace?

The peace agreements signed between the Government of Colombia and the FARC guerrillas in 2016 marked a turning point in the history of the South American country. The disarmament and conversion of the insurgent organization into a political party, completed on September 2, 2017, was for many one more example of the triumph of democracy and a step forward towards the definitive end of the conflict.

Five years after that transformation, the path traveled by the now Comunes party has been anything but easy. Internal divisions, lack of impact on the national legislative landscape and the insistence on a vertical direction that continues to remind the guerrilla command are some of the reasons why the formation does not seem to take off completely.

The coming to power of former guerrilla Gustavo Petro and the new willingness to open dialogue with another insurgent group, the ELN, could put Comunes in a better position to strengthen its presence in the future.

A long road to peace

Some three decades had to pass before the oldest guerrilla in Latin America finally reached a lasting pact with the Colombian government. Before the signing of the peace agreement on September 26, 2016, three other presidents tried to materialize an agreement with the rebels. Finally, it was Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018) who stamped his signature along with Rodrigo Londoño, alias Timoleón Jiménez or Timochenko, the last commander of the FARC.

The agreements were negotiated in Havana in a climate sometimes strained by the frequent incursions of both sides, who maintained the conflict while they talked. More than once the dialogue hung by a thread due to incursions or attacks, but frequent ceasefires helped the talks progress.

In compliance with what was agreed regarding the political, economic and social reintegration of the combatants, as of November 2016 the guerrillas began a transition to civilian life that culminated at the end of August of the following year.

From the oldest guerrilla to the youngest political party

Almost a year after the historic signing in Cartagena in September and the reaffirmation the following November in Bogotá, on September 2, 2017, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia changed arms for politics and became known as the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force, maintaining the same acronyms.

For many, the FARC was reminiscent of a bloody conflict all too recent, and neither the 10 seats in the two chambers of the legislature, nor the willingness of the former guerrillas to demonstrate their will to keep the peace managed to get rid of the stigma of the new organization.

To avoid associations and start a new path, since January 2021 the FARC party officially changed its name to Comunes, a name with which it wanted to distance itself from its military past and also from former members who are reluctant to accept the new times of peace.

Internal divisions and friction

According to the agreements, Commons has guaranteed five seats in the House of Representatives and five in the Senate during the next two legislatures, even if they do not reach the minimum number of votes. This ensures the organization’s presence in Colombian political life, an influence marred by divisions and internal conflicts between former insurgent leaders.

The split of groups led by important figures of the former guerrilla such as Andrés París, and participants in the peace process such as Victoria Sandino and Benkos Biohó have been seen as a bad sign and a criticism of the management of Londoño, now at the head of Comunes.

Most Comunes factions insist that the party leadership is very reminiscent of the old guerrilla structure and instead of being more horizontal, as democracy demands, it continues to be vertical and autocratic.

Biohó, a regular at the talks table in Havana, even went so far as to declare that “there was never any will to build a party” on the part of the FARC leadership, which “intended to transfer a vertical leadership structure” that doesn’t work for a party.

The controversy surrounding Seuxis Pausias Hernández Solarte, alias Jesús Santrich, who held a seat in the Chamber despite widespread rejection due to his record in the guerrilla, also weighs on Comunes. Santrich would end up abandoning the peace process and returning to arms soon after.

An uncertain future

The stigmatization still weighs on the former FARC. Despite the name change and its manifest willingness to adhere to the Peace Accords, Comunes has not yet taken off, and in part it is because they still do not have the full confidence of the majority of Colombians.

Londoño himself has addressed this decisive element and at the same time has recognized that the lack of preparation of ex-combatants to face a new life in the political arena has also had an influence.

Comunes has not had much success promoting its own projects and for the most part they have limited themselves to accompanying initiatives and supporting opposition sectors with backing in the Legislature.

The low turnout in the legislative elections of 2018 and the votes for mayors in 2019 are proof of the coldness with which they are received in Colombia. This could complicate the way to maintain a presence in the political life of the country when the grace period guaranteed by the Agreements ends.

All this could change with the arrival of Petro to power and the opportunity to share experiences in the peace process with the ELN, which could resume very soon in Havana, the same scenario of the previous dialogue.

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