![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]() by AFP Staff Writers Dabeiba, Colombia (AFP) Nov 23, 2021
UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed concern Tuesday at the risk posed by "enemies of peace" in Colombia, which is marking the fifth anniversary of historic peace accords that ended a near six-decade conflict. On the same day, the US government notified Congress that it will remove the now-defunct FARC guerrilla group, which lay down arms after the deal, from its official terror group designation. November 24 marks five years since the government and Marxist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed deal to end Latin America's longest-running internal conflict. Guterres accompanied Colombian President Ivan Duque on a visit Tuesday to Dabeiba, a mountainous, rural municipality in the northern Antioquia department to see first-hand "the achievements of peace." He visited a reintegration facility at Llano Grande, where several former FARC combatants live with their families, seeking to rejoin civilian life by learning new skills. "Every day they renew their commitment to build a country in peace. They know better than anyone that peace is not built overnight. This requires effort, tenacity, to build and preserve," said the UN Secretary General. Some 13,000 guerrillas have surrendered their arms since 2016, but violence persists in many regions of Colombia where FARC dissidents, who reject the peace deal, continue to fight paramilitary and rebel groups and drug traffickers in the world's largest cocaine producer. Nearly 300 former FARC fighters have been killed in the last five years. - 'Enemies of peace' - "Unfortunately, there are enemies of peace," Guterres warned, calling for the rights of ex-combatants, civic leaders and human rights defenders to be guaranteed. "We need to redouble our efforts to ensure the sustainability of (reintegration) projects with technical and financial support, land and housing," he said. Guterres met former FARC fighters, including Rodrigo Londono -- known by his war name Timochenko -- who assured the UN chief that "despite the fact that nearly 300 signatories (of the peace accords) have been killed, we remain committed to the road taken five years ago." In another step towards normalization, the US government which backed Bogota in its war against the FARC, on Tuesday informed Congress it would remove the group, since transformed into a minority political party, from its terror list, a congressional source told AFP. Such a listing, since 1997 for the FARC, allows Washington to impose financial and diplomatic sanctions against target groups. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the peace process in Colombia was "something that we have sought at every step of the way to preserve." The conflict resulted in nine million people being either killed, disappearing or being displaced, according to authorities. On November 24, 2016, after negotiations in Cuba, the fearsome guerrilla group laid down arms and signed a deal with then Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos. But the terror label has continued to hang over former FARC members. The peace deal "set Colombia on a path to a just and lasting peace. So we remain fully committed to working with our Colombian partners on the implementation of the peace accord," said Price. On Wednesday, Guterres will attend an official ceremony in Bogota at the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a judicial body created by the 2016 agreement to investigate crimes and atrocities committed during the conflict. Colombia is experiencing its most violent period in years due to continued fighting between armed groups for control of drug fields, illegal gold mines and lucrative smuggling routes.
![]() ![]() UK apology over Gulf War 'human shields' flight London (AFP) Nov 23, 2021 The UK government on Tuesday apologised for not warning British Airways that Iraq was about to invade Kuwait before one of its flights was caught up in a hostage drama in 1990. Passengers on BA flight 149 were taken off the Kuala Lumpur-bound plane when it landed in the Gulf state on August 2 that year, hours after Saddam Hussein's troops swept in. Some of the 367 passengers and crew spent more than four months in captivity, including as human shields at the hands of the Iraqi dictator. The ... read more
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |