BACKItem 3 contains agreements regarding the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, the laying down of arms, the Reincorporation of the FARC-EP into civilian life, and safety guarantees. These agreements are intended to put an end to the armed conflict, to guarantee an effective transition of the FARC-EP from an armed organization to a political party or movement, and to create conditions that will impede new outbreaks of violence and new war victims.
The approach to the subjects in this item begins from the premise that, to solve the problems that prolonged the armed conflict for over fifty years, rifles must be silenced and there must be minimal safety requirements for transforming territories that were historically affected by armed confrontations.
To put an end to the conflict, the following essential issues were addressed:
- Bilateral and Definitive Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities, and Laying Down of Arms.
The objective was an agreement that would lead to the definitive termination of the conflict, not to its extension or regulation, which necessarily implied a serious and effective process of laying down arms.
Based on best practices and lessons learned from more than fifty similar processes around the world, a model was built, by and for Colombians, that would reflect the realities of the nation and its communities—especially for those places most affected by the conflict—, considering the conditions of its topography, security and institutions, and that would account for the distinctive features resulting from the presence of the FARC-EP in some territories.
In contrast to other peace processes around the world, the composition, doctrine or function of the state security forces were not a subject of discussion, and the international standards for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) were rigorously defined. This was intended to preserve institutional legitimacy, in particular for the state security forces. At the same time as the FARC-EP laid down their arms and reintegrated into lawful society, state security forces would guarantee all the safety requirements to make this transition possible.
Made up of thirteen active service members from the state security forces and by members of the most combat-oriented wing of the FARC-EP, the Technical Subcommittee for the End of the Conflict was in charge of developing the original and innovative model that silenced the rifles, handed over arms to the Political Mission of the United Nations (UN), and the definitively extinguished the illegal armed group. To do this, it was agreed that the FARC-EP would be positioned in delimited areas: nineteen Provisional Rural-Division Zones for Standardization and seven Provisional Points for Standardization (ZVTN and PTN, respectively, according to their Spanish initials).
The monitoring and verification of the ceasefire was conducted through a tripartite mechanism with participation by representatives from the Government (the armed forces), the FARC-EP and the UN. This strengthened trust, facilitated the resolution of incidents, and gave greater credibility and legitimacy to the process.
The laying down of arms, verified by delegates from the Political Mission of the UN, took place through seven technical processes—registry, identification, monitoring and verification of possession, collection, storage, final extraction and disposal—which guaranteed that the UN would receive all of the arms through a traceable and verifiable technical procedure, which ultimately led to the destruction of the arms. It was proposed that the resulting material from their destruction would be used to create three monuments: one in Cuba, another at UN headquarters in New York, and another in Colombia.
- Reintegration of the FARC-EP into Civilian Life.
Building a stable and lasting peace implies the effective reintegration of the FARC-EP into the political, social and economic life of the country. The effort to achieve this reintegration reaffirms a commitment to ending the chapter of internal violence and decidedly contributes to strengthening peaceful coexistence, to non-repetition and to transforming the conditions that have facilitated the persistence of violence throughout the region.
The comprehensive process of reintegration takes into account the particularities of the ex-combatants, the regions where they will reintegrate, and, especially, their communities. This is intended to help ex-combatants address the challenges of civilian life in familial, labor, citizen and community spaces, in both rural and urban spheres, as well as to help them to construct life plans as civilians in a safe, dignified and productive way.
This process must also promote opportunities to participate in the various projects and initiatives related to reintegration for residents in different regions. It must also contribute to satisfying the rights of victims, to strengthening the productive base of the nation, and to deepening democracy, co-existence, reconciliation and non-repetition. And it must contribute generally to the implementation of the Final Agreement and to the improvement of community well-being and living conditions.
- Safety Guarantees
The end of the armed conflict in Colombia involves strengthening institutionalism and creating safer conditions for all Colombians. This strengthening of institutionalism is an opportunity to reach the more remote regions of Colombia, ensuring that citizens can access institutionalism, guaranteeing the arrival of goods and services through the entire nation as well as the adequate functioning of legal economies. All of this coincides with forcefully tackling criminal organizations.
These guarantees are reinforced based on three fundamental ideas: i) the state has an exclusive monopoly on arms and use of force, ii) the state is solely responsible for administering justice, which eliminates any attempt at private justice, and iii) the state is solely responsible for collecting taxes and combating any type of illegal economy.
Safety guarantees are the right of all citizens in urban and rural areas, with special emphasis on those regions most affected by the conflict and those where FARC-EP ex-combatants reintegrate into civilian life. The objective is to provide: protection and safety to all residents throughout the national territory; protective measures for collectives, movements, and social organizations and human rights organizations in all regions; and the right to political expression for parties and movements, especially those that express opposition, the political movement that emerges from the transition of the FARC-EP to legal political activity, and members of the FARC-EP who are in a process of reintegration into civilian life.
