The new government of Colombia has the responsibility to accelerate the implementation of the Peace Agreement

“Colombia has reached the sixth year of the Peace Agreementan achievement that not many countries can boast of, that is a reason for optimism”, said this Thursday the head of the UN Verification Mission in that country at a press conference at the Organization’s headquarters in New York.

Carlos Ruiz Massieu spoke with the journalists after presenting the quarterly report of the General secretary about Colombia to Security Councilin a session where the final report of the Truth Commission of that country.

In front of the Council, just as later before the press, Ruiz Massieu highlighted the commitment of the incoming government, with President-elect Gustavo Petro at the head, to deepen the comprehensive implementation of the Peace Agreement, and to seek negotiated solutions -both political and judicial- with the remaining illegal armed actors, in what has been called the search for “total peace”.

The UN representative in Colombia indicated that in a meeting with Petro two weeks ago, the elected president assured him that “peace would be a cornerstone of his rule and that it had the support of the United Nations.” In addition, Petro has insistently called for national unity, he added.

Reasons for optimism, but the violence continues

“The incoming administration [que asumirá el poder el 7 de agosto próximo] has a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to accelerate the implementation of the Peace Agreement. There are good reasons for optimism, and I think the United Nations and the international community should do everything in their power to support”, emphasized Ruiz Massieu.

The envoy welcomed the election results, stressing that increasingly reflect the diversity of the country’s vibrant society and that it will include the largest proportion of women, with about 30% of legislators.

Ruiz Massieu clarified, however, that although there are reasons for encouragement, violence against communities, leaders and ex-combatants continues, for which he urged to guarantee his security through the Peace Agreement.

He detailed, for example, that more than thousand social leaders and 331 ex-combatants have been assassinatedned since the signing of the Agreement, citing that in the last two weeks four more ex-combatants were killed.

painful findings

For his part, the president of the Truth Commission, Father Francisco De Roux Rengifo, spoke to the Security Council about the painful findings on the causes and effects of conflict included in the Commission’s final report.

The priest recalled that in the civil war in Colombia, the 80% of the dead were civilians. “Thousands of young Colombians from both sides of the conflict faced in an always useless war,” she noted.

The figures from the Truth Commission, whose objective is the reconciliation of the country, indicate that the 60 years that the armed conflict lasted left 50,770 kidnappings, 121,768 disappearances, 450,664 murders and 7.7 million displaced people.

UN/Eskinder Debebe

The president of the Truth Commission in Colombia, Francisco José de Roux Rengifo, presents his final report to the Security Council.

“The narco got into the war”

De Roux Rengifo largely attributed the complexity of the Colombian conflict to the blatant involvement of drug cartels.

“The narco got into the war,” he lamented, highlighting the great power he has acquired.

“Drug trafficking is the main cause of war and suffering in the countryis at the heart of corruption and impunity in Colombia because of the power it has by subjugating police, judges and politicians with money,” he emphasized.

The President of the Commission acknowledged that his country produces 70% of the cocaine in the world“It is a very sad reality, we are poisoning the planet,” he said.

Dismantle drug trafficking without a war

It is imperative to dismantle drug trafficking, said De Roux Rengifo, but not with a war.

“Wars do not solve anything, we know after 60 years. To perpetuate that war is to increase it,” he asserted.

He added that what is needed are investigative measures and justice process of “drug lords” through transitional systems. “You have to find out the framework [del tráfico de drogas]Who are your police friends, judges, businessmen, officials?

The priest stated that It is a public health and education problem.

In addition, he considered that that economy must be integrated “into formal processes, regulation. Something that will only be possible in collaboration with other countries”.

“We need a transformation of the fight against drug traffickingthat it is not war”, he insisted, “that people do not continue to be killed, that no more peasants die”.

The cartels make more money from the war against them

De Roux Rengifo warned that an armed war against drug cartels would only “raise your profits.”

“Military intervention is included in the deal and their setups to corrupt any force that approaches in an armed manner. Transitional justice is the way, before any capo is extradited, he must deliver the truth in depth, reparation must be demanded from the victims and capital delivered to the State, ”he explained.

Once again, the president of the Commission expressed his conviction “that the paths of war must end.”

“From the pain of the victims, we are convinced that Colombia has to move forward on the path of peace and we would like an army for peace and a police for the citizens”, he stressed and trusted that President Petro will follow a path in that direction.

De Roux Rengifo foresaw that Colombia’s “will be a long peace process”, but the important thing is that the Peace Agreement is centered on the victims, he added.

After the preparation of the final report of the Truth Commission, a monitoring mission will follow up on the recommendations for seven years with financing from the Colombian government and, perhaps, from the international community, Father De Roux Rengifo concluded.