Tag: Pablo Catatumbo

He spent most of his 64 years as a military commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (or Farc), plotting the violent overthrow of the country’s government. “It’s the first time in my life that I’ve voted and I do it for peace,” he said after completing his ballot at a Bogotá polling station. Catatumbo, along with nine of his former comrades, is guaranteed a non-voting seat in Colombia’s congress as part of the controversial peace deal that initially failed to pass a referendum. “For many people it is hard to swallow Farc leaders campaigning on the streets,” said Kristian Herbolzheimer, a Colombia specialist at Conciliation Resources, a London-based consultancy. “Many are furious that people with blood on their hands can run for elections.” After the Farc took up arms against the state in 1964, about 220,000 people were killed and over seven million displaced. Although it seems unlikely the group will return to war, many Colombians are unwilling to move on. “It is not necessarily bad for the peace process that the Farc did not get many votes – the first step is to normalise their participation in politics.” Abbey Steele, a political science professor at the University of Amsterdam and author of a recent book on Colombia’s conflict, said Sunday’s results could have lasting implications on the peace process as some laws governing the accord’s implementation have yet to be passed. “Although no party won a majority outright, together the three rightwing parties have 50 seats in the senate, which will make passing a law very difficult without at least some of their support,” Steele said. “We are in a different phase now,” said Jenny, a former Farc fighter, from a camp in Colombia’s eastern plains where she lives with other ex-combatants. “Whatever happens, I’m not going back to war.” Farc deal opens path for Colombia's other rebels: 'The future has to be about war' Read more President Juan Manuel Santos, who has staked his legacy on the peace deal with the Farc, lauded the vote as “the most peaceful that Colombia has had in recent history”.