So far, my week looks out of a horror movie. Besides Halloween, last Tuesday, one of my dogs got possessed by a rogue spirit, went crazy inside his crate and cut his lip while chewing on the plastic of the door. How could I not get spooked after a $400 bill from the vet?
However, the scariest thing was watching CNN en Español last Wednesday. The spokes-person of FARC–now known as Farc: Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común–announce Rodrigo Londoño, AKA Timochenko, as their presidential candidate for the 2018 elections.
Although it is normal that peace processes with revolutionary forces in history have ended in political aspirations, listening to the word “Timochenko”–one of the leaders of the most blood-thirsty and violent guerrillas in the world–next to the phrase “presidential candidate,” shook me to the bones.
When I was a girl, I remember listening to the radio with my grandmother in the afternoons after school, and the news about guerrilla attacks and the recount of civil and law enforcement victims were the daily bread.
Even though my immediate family did not endure the war or kidnapping in the flesh, it is still very difficult to swallow that Farc will have 10 rightful seats in Congress, or more, if they get the votes.
In an interview with the newspaper El Tiempo, Timochenko’s VP formula, Imelda Daza–former militant of the UP and who lived in exile in Sweden for 26 years–left no doubts about the reason to join this venture. According to her, she is “deeply committed to building peace” and that she “has no sectarian or ideological conscience”.
In that answer, I understood it all. In order to support this candidacy, indeed, the least someone needs is having a conscience.
From the moment the peace accord was signed in 2016, supporters and defectors continue the debate about the lack of justice for the crimes against humanity and victims’ reparations. Nonetheless, I find another point which is categorically essential to cross the bridge of the past and move Colombia into a more peaceful and prosperous future.
In theory, the fourth article of the Peace Accord stipulates on page 91: “The National Government and FARC-EP declare their commitment to a definitive solution to the illicit drugs problem.”
Now, in reality, this isn’t happening. The Colombian Attorney General, Néstor Humberto Martínez, says there have been no advances. Farc has not provided the trafficking routes or named their international partners. But, what it is really known, is that deserters and dissidents of the guerrilla are strengthening their battle to control the drug-crops zones of the country.
Currently, the evidence is the average homicide rate increase of 50% in the rural areas of the states Nariño, Cauca, Noreste de Antioquia, Chocó, Arauca and Norte de Santander which are experiencing a new and reloaded drug-war.
So, I ask, if FARC, Farc or whatever the hell they want to be called, couldn’t even keep their militants in line throughout the arms surrendering, how can they pretend to govern the entire country?
I can already foresee that next year’s presidential elections in Colombia will be heated and unforgettable such as the United States 2016 were. Time will show what decision Colombians make in the ballots.
Thank you for reading and sharing.
Xiomara Spadafora
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Good crazy woman 