Colombia's Rejection of Peace Deal with FARC Reveals Wounds Still Run Deep
Colombia's Rejection of Peace Deal with FARC Reveals Wounds Still Run Deep
“One positive element to come from this vote is that the cease-fire still holds and that the FARC have reaffirmed their commitment to peace,” says AS/COA’s Adriana La Rotta.
The stunning defeat on Sunday via referendum of a peace deal with left-wing guerrillas that would have ended Latin America’s longest-running civil conflict has left many observers and supporters of the accord wondering what happens now.
After years of negotiations between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, it seemed all but assured that – with polling inciting the referendum would win by an almost two-to-one margin – the deal would pass a popular vote….
… “The idea that this specific deal will be reopened is something that won’t happen,” Adriana La Rotta, a columnist with Colombia's El Tiempo newspaper and the media relations director for the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, told FNL.
Bringing Santos and Uribe together actually might be harder than achieving peace with the FARC, many say. Santos served as Uribe’s defense minister, when they worked together with the U.S. to drive the FARC to the edge of the jungles, but the two haven't spoken for years and frequently trade insults…
