The eighth round of peace talks ended last week in Havana. Representatives of the government and the FARC issued a joint statement that outlined the progress of the process. The official statement highlighted progress but, as usual, the un-official communications undo what gets accomplished at the negotiating table.
Counts were down to 32 which 10% above the recent average and just slightly below the long term average. Our 4-week Moving Average incident count was down slightly at 33.5 incidents but the 52 week average was up marginally to 37.1 incidents per week.
This week the forum on political participation organized by the United Nations Office on Colombia and the Colombian National University Think Tank for Peace took place. The purpose of the forum was to create a space for participation in which citizens were invited to express their views on the peace process.
In an interview with Portafolio, Fernando Gutierrez, Bicentennial pipeline manager, said that after two years of construction, the pipeline will be operational in July this year and will be filled with 1.2M oil barrels; according to Gutierrez: “This is more than the production of a day. It is the largest pipe that has been made in the country.”
Counts were up again to 35 which 10% above the recent average and just slightly below the long term average. Our 4-week Moving Average incident count was steady at 33.8 incidents and essentially so was the 52 week average at 36.9 incidents per week.
El Nuevo Siglo published an article about the consequences of fuel theft in the country. According to the article, this phenomenon generates economic, human and environmental losses.
It was widely reported in the Colombian press that Colombia and Ecuador signed an agreement for Colombian oil transportation by the Heavy Crude Pipeline (OCP) located in Ecuadorian territory. The purpose is to provide an alternative to the frequently interrupted TransAndino Pipeline.
The eighth round of peace talks between the government and the FARC began on Tuesday in Havana. Humberto de la Calle, chief negotiator of the government, said he has the “purpose of making decisions.”
Counts were down to 30 which is 20% below recent and long term averages. Our 4-week Moving Average incident count was down 8% to 33.6 incidents but the 52 week average held steady at 36.6.
The overall framework of the peace talks in civil society – beyond the negotiating table – is becoming a debate between rendition and reconciliation. A sizable and vocal portion of Colombian society wants rendition: no peace unless the Farc surrender and pay for their crimes. A statistical majority appear to be tired of the long conflict and simply want peace. The latter group would share the former’s concerns about the future – no deals with the Farc that would cause fundamental shifts in Colombian society — but are less concerned about atonement for the past. They just want the conflict to end.
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