Continued Roadblocks for Colombia’s “Total Peace” Plan

At least five Colombian soldiers were wounded in combat with a splinter faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia known as the Estado Mayor Central (FARC-EMC)—a leftist guerrilla group originally formed in 1964—on Sunday and Monday amid increased operations against the group following the dissolution of a ceasefire between the group and the Colombian government in March. The clash took place near Argelia, Cauca Department, a department which boasts a large presence of FARC-EMC fighters..Further Casualties.The five soldiers were injured as a result of increased attacks between the FARC-EMC and another splinter group of the FARC known as Second Marquetalia in the department as the two groups battle for control of a key route for cocaine smuggling. These clashes have not only affected the guerrilla groups and Colombian authorities, but civilians have begun leaving the region en masse in order to escape the escalating violence present in the department, according to General Federico Mejia..The general stated those injured have already been transferred to hospitals in Cali, the capital of the neighboring Valle del Cauca Department. The general further stated that four FARC-EMC members were captured by soldiers while an unknown number of dead guerrillas have also been reported, leading some to speculate the military's operations in the region have been relatively successful..This announcement comes amid increasing tensions within Cauca and neighboring Valle del Cauca, where three police officers were injured in combat on Saturday following further clashes in this department. During the clashes in Valle del Cauca, one member of the FARC-EMC was killed while another was captured by authorities. Following these operations, authorities announced they had regained control of Robles, a small town located 13 miles from Jamundi, a municipality that has been a central battleground between the FARC-EMC and authorities..Brigadier General Juan Oduber Rendón Pérez stated that despite the issuance of relative peace in Robles, authorities will maintain operations within the town in order to prevent a resurgence of FARC-EMC activity. Robles has recenlty fallen into the crosshairs of the FARC-EMC, with a motorcycle bomb having been discovered in the town on Friday while similar operations conducted by the armed group plagued the town..Increasing Attacks.Tensions have skyrocketed between the FARC-EMC and the Colombian government in recent months following the dissolution of ceasefire between the two in March after the FARC-EMC launched an attack on an indigenous community which ultimately left two injured and a community leader dead. After the dissolution of the ceasefire, the government promptly restarted military action against the armed group leading to an increase in attacks against government forces as the FARC-EMC attempts to pressure the government into reentering a ceasefire.."No matter how much pressure these illegal organizations try to exert, we will not back down from the decision to suspend the ceasefire. Offensive operations by the Public Force [military and national police] will continue," Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez stated in April, seemingly confirming this theory.."This organization has only filled the communities in these departments with anguish and suffering, and it is precisely because of these criminal actions against the population that the government, the President of the Republic, decreed the suspension of the cessation. And no matter how much pressure is intended to be exerted, we are not going to decline this decision taken to suspend the cessation and develop offensive operations by the Public Force," Velasquez continued..This resurrection of military action against the FARC-EMC is a swift departure from President Gustavo Petro's plan to bring "total peace" to Colombia aimed at ending the 60-year-long conflict through a series of ceasefires and peace deals with the ultimate goal of disarmament for Colombia's many armed groups..This policy has faced a number of setbacks, namely the dissolution of the ceasefire with the FARC-EMC and the suspension of peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN), a similar leftist guerrilla group. The decision to end peace talks resulted from the government's decision to enter talks with the ELN's Narino front outside of the armed group's national representatives, a move the national leadership ultimately rejected..The ELN claims the act was, in reality, part of the government's plan to target the group's command structure in one of the group's publications, Insurreccion 947. The group claims that the peace talks with the Narino front have only matured due to the supposed government agent's failure to target the core leadership of the ELN..Furthermore, the publication states that this issue was brought up by the organization's official negotiators at meetings with the Colombian government but was ultimately ignored, resulting in the ELN leaving the talks.."Now, activating the supposed 'dissidence,' the government has given priority to said setup, relegating the official Roundtable with the ELN and therefore confirming that its priority is to hold peace dialogue with its own intelligence agents," the publication stated..Despite these setbacks, Petro's plan has recently resulted in a windfall as the government successfully concluded ceasefire negotiations with the aforementioned Second Marquetalia on July 1, 2024. The deal has facilitated the planned release of hostages held by Second Marquetalia while also setting up a framework for to negotiate a long-term ceasefire..These peace talks were reportedly not intended to achieve a full disarmament of the Second Marquetalia, but to achieve a "de-escalation of violence in the territories where they [Second Marquetalia] operate," according to Otty Patino, Colombia's High Commissioner for Peace. Armando Novoa, who led Colombia's peace delegation, told Reuters that the government hopes to arrange a long-term peace deal before Petro leaves office in 2026..As Colombia's half-a-century-old conflict continues, it remains unknown what action is needed in order to bring an end to the years of suffering felt by the Colombian people. While some have rallied behind Petro's total peace plan, others have held the plan in contempt and have called for a return to more direct, militaristic measures.