Former rebels failing to compensate conflict victims

BOGOTA: Colombia’s demobilised FARC guerrillas have delivered just a fraction of the assets they had pledged to compensate conflict victims in the four years since they signed a peace deal, the government says.

Colombia signed a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) at the end of 2016, which ended the rebel group’s part in five decades of conflict that has left more than 260,000 dead and millions displaced. After disarming, the FARC became a legal political party using a different name with the same acronym.

Under the deal, the FARC agreed to hand over about 1 trillion pesos (8.7 billion baht) in assets taken during the conflict by the end of last year. However, the former rebels have delivered just 44.4 billion pesos in local currency, dollars and gold, according to the government — a number that was confirmed by the FARC.

“It’s an issue that greatly concerns the government, not just because of the amount of resources we’re talking about, but because the FARC’s ill-won assets were destined to compensate victims, which would have an impact on reconciliation,” Emilio Archila, the presidential adviser for implementing the peace deal, said.

The FARC attributed the shortfall to the government failing to do its part to help implement the deal, and threats to former guerrillas.

“Our willingness isn’t in doubt, we won’t renounce our commitments,” Pastor Alape, a delegate from the Farc political party, said in a statement in which he also requested an extension to the compensation deadline.

Mr Alape’s comments were dismissed by Mr Archila.

“When the date was decided, we established not only the deadline but also the means [to deliver the assets],” he said. “There is really no reason to have a new deadline.”

In addition to money and gold, the FARC said it has handed over infrastructure as well as livestock and weapons.

Some nine million people have been registered as victims in Colombia’s armed conflict.