Colombia Country Analysis

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The History of the FARC

In 1964, two members from the Colombian Communist Party (PCC) worked together in order to create the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The FARC was formed after a decade of a civil war, where various citizens and members of the PCC, who felt neglected by the Colombian government, settled throughout the countryside of Colombia and created their own communities.

On May 27, 1964, the Colombian military attacked the FARC community, which caused 48 rebels to fight back. This was the first confrontation with the government, that would cause decades of conflict between the two parties. However, in June 22, 2015, the FARC bombed the Tansandio pipeline, which caused 10,000 barrels of oil to spill and contaminate the waterways. This contamination resulted in 150,000 people to lose access to water. This contamination is known to be the last FARC (documented) attack. In July 2015, the Colombian government and the FARC leaders agreed to a ceasefire. As of November 2015, President Santos has continuously evaluated the progress that has been made between the Colombian government and the FARC forces, and has continuously attempted to maintain the peace between the two parties.

Because two members of the communist party founded the FARC, the rebel organization is not without political activities. In 1985, during the 84-85 ceasefire, the FARC and the PCC cofounded the Patriotic Union (UP). This political party was created with the goal of presenting worthy opposition to the dominant parties within the Colombian government at this moment in time. In addition, the FARC and PCC allowed other members of extremist political parties to join the UP in order to increase the size of the members within the party. With the addition of these new members, the UP discouraged publically the usage of arms, despite the FARC’s endorsement. The main objective from the party was to address land reform, provide better medical care, and educational services for the poor. The party also had hoped to nationalize businesses, banks, and transportation systems. The UP saw hundreds of successes in 1986, as they won hundreds of local council seats, nine seats in the House, and six seats in the Senate. After this success, the Colombian government and paramilitaries allegedly assassinated approximately 500 UP leaders before 1988 and an additional 4,000 by 1992 in order to remove this party from any form of power. Because of this, the UP’s political party status was revoked in 2002 due to lack of members and the party has remained inactive since 2013 as the members continue to fight the government behind the FARC rebel movement.

Works Cited

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Colombia-POLITICAL-PARTIES.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juan-Manuel-Santos

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2118.html

http://www.colombiaemb.org/overview

https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/colombia/government

http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/89

http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-presidents-of-colombia/braners

http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Colombia.html

https://www.britannica.com/place/Colombia/Conservative-Liberal-struggle-1840-80