2023-10-17 16:43:05
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Bern, 17.10.2023 – The FDFA welcomes the opening yesterday of peace negotiations between the Colombian authorities and the rebel group Estado Mayor Central de las FARC-EP (EMC). Active in Colombia for many years as part of its peace policy, Switzerland has assumed, at the request of both parties, an official mandate as guarantor of the negotiations. This mandate demonstrates the esteem enjoyed by Switzerland’s diplomacy and its work in peace policy.
The Colombian government and the EMC (Estado Mayor Central de las FARC-EP) announced yesterday the official opening of their negotiations in the presence of several representatives of Colombian society and the international community in Tibu, in the department of North of Santander. The creation of the EMC dates back to the conclusion of the 2016 peace agreement, which part of the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had refused to sign.
When negotiations opened, both sides signed a ceasefire agreement with immediate effect. The ceasefire, provisionally declared for three months, aims to improve the humanitarian situation in the regions where the EMC is active.
Alongside Ireland, Norway and Venezuela in particular, Switzerland will accompany the new peace process as a guarantor country, thus further strengthening its support for the peace process in Colombia. She will be present during the negotiations and will provide political support and technical assistance during the process.
The Colombian government therefore aims, as part of its peace policy, to involve, if possible, all armed groups in the establishment of total peace. Switzerland comprehensively supports the implementation of the peace agreement with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP), which it also defends within the UN Security Council. Since November 2022, Switzerland has also been a member of the group supporting the peace talks with the national liberation army Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN). At the request of the parties, it provides them with advice on issues such as respect for the ceasefire, the participation of society or the protection of the civilian population. These activities are placed under the responsibility of the Peace and Human Rights Division (DPDH) of the FDFA.
Peace process following several decades of armed conflict
Colombia has been marked by armed conflicts for several decades. It is estimated that they have claimed more than 200,000 lives so far, mostly civilians, and displaced 8 million people. In 2016, a peace agreement was reached between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP. However, certain regions of the country subsequently experienced an intensification of fighting involving other armed groups, which complicates the implementation of the peace agreement, in particular the development of rural regions affected by armed violence.
Colombia is a priority country for the DPDH, which carries out peace promotion activities there. Thus, the DPDH provides, in support of reconciliation processes, technical expertise in areas such as the participation of civil society, ceasefire and dealing with the past. In addition to its efforts to implement the 2016 peace agreement and to support the processes of rapprochement and negotiation with armed groups, Switzerland is committed to reducing the consequences of the conflict, notably through humanitarian activities such as mine clearance and assistance for rural development. It also keeps, at the request of the Colombian government and the FARC, an original of the final agreement of 2016 as well as a security copy of the archives of the Colombian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
By working towards peace and security, as it does within the framework of the Colombian peace process, the Confederation is also implementing one of the thematic priorities of the Federal Council’s 2020-2023 foreign policy strategy.
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