Colombia says former FARC rebels have not kept promises to surrender cash and gold
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The former rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is violating a 2016 peace deal with the Colombian government by failing to give up gold, land and other assets to fund reparations for the group’s victims, officials said Tuesday.
The Office of the Inspector General said in a report Tuesday that the FARC had handed over only a small portion of the assets under its control, undermining efforts to help victims of Colombia’s decades-long conflict.
The rebels had promised to return 444 kilograms (979 pounds) of gold as part of the 2016 peace deal, but returned only 252 kilograms (556 pounds) of it to authorities. They handed over only one of the 722 rural properties they promised to hand over, along with 17 percent of the money, the agency said.
The FARC signed this historic agreement with the government after fighting for at least five decades. The deal spared FARC fighters from prison sentences, allowed them to form a political party and reserved 10 seats in Colombia’s congress for former members.
In exchange, the group’s leaders agreed to divest FARC assets to fund reparation projects such as infrastructure in rural areas, memorials to victims of the Colombian conflict, or truth and reconciliation events.
Assets listed by the FARC were to be transferred to an agency known as the Society of Special Assets, which could sell them and remit the money to another agency tasked with helping victims of the conflict.
José Lisandro Lascarro, a former FARC commander known as “Pastor Alape,” told The Associated Press that the FARC had done its best to hand over its assets in a process overseen by the United Nations. But he argued that some assets had not been returned to the Colombian government due to security concerns.
“We handed over all the property we could return before other groups occupied our territory,” Alape said.
The disarmament of the FARC in 2016 was followed by a surge in violence in some rural areas, where several small groups are fighting for control of former FARC territory.
Lascarro said this situation prevented former FARC members from handing over more money because the money was buried in vaults in remote areas now controlled by other rebel groups. He added that the FARC had no official title to its rural properties, making it impossible for the group to cede its land or homes to the government.
The Office of the Inspector General also said that a tribunal created under the peace agreement, known as the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, or JEP, currently lacks funds to implement rulings that involve truth-telling and reparation activities for victims of the Colombian conflict.
Last year, the peace court issued calls for reparations for victims of kidnappings committed by the FARC and victims of extrajudicial executions carried out by the Colombian army.
The Office of the Inspector General warned Tuesday that the budget currently reserved for reparations for these victims represents only 17% of what is needed.
