Colombia is approaching the 10-year anniversary of the historic peace agreement signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) [1].
The milestone arrives during a period of political transition. While the accord ended more than five decades of armed conflict, the current administration is shifting state resources away from the institutions designed to sustain that peace.
The agreement was signed on Nov. 24, 2016, in Cartagena [2]. Since then, the FARC has demobilized as a guerrilla force [1], though the group continues to exist as a legal political party [2]. Despite the cessation of hostilities with the FARC, other illegal armed groups persist across the country [3].
President Abelardo de la Espriella has begun cutting the entities created to manage the peace process. The administration said these cuts are necessary to confront remaining armed groups and re-orient state resources [3]. De la Espriella said he will dispense with the peace commissioner and eliminate positions and organizations he considers redundant [4].
Critics suggest these moves undermine the long-term stability of the agreement. In a report from the Contraloría General de la República, it was noted that Colombia has allocated more than 127 billones of Colombian pesos toward the peace agreement over the last 10 years [5].
De la Espriella has taken a hard line against the existing peace infrastructure. He said he has "declared war on the entities created to seek and sustain peace" [3]. This shift in policy marks a departure from the previous decade of implementation efforts.
The government said that the focus must move from the 2016 framework to the current security threats. This includes addressing the gaps left by the FARC's departure, which were often filled by other criminal organizations [3].
“Colombia has allocated more than 127 billones of Colombian pesos toward the peace agreement over the last 10 years.”
The transition from the 2016 peace framework to the de la Espriella administration's security-first approach signals a pivot in Colombia's national strategy. By dismantling the bureaucratic infrastructure of the peace process, the government is betting that direct confrontation with remaining illegal groups is more effective than the institutional sustainability model used over the last decade.
