Chief of the Colombian government delegation Humberto de la Calle (centre) arrives at the Conventions Palace in Havana, Cuba, yesterday to continue the peace talks with a delegation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
Reuters/Havana
Colombian guerrilla leaders yesterday said they took responsibility for civilian casualties caused by rebel attacks during 50 years of war, a show of contrition aimed at buttressing peace talks with the government.
“We explicitly recognise that our actions have affected civilians at different times and under different circumstances throughout the conflict,” Pablo Atrato, a member of the guerrilla negotiating team, said at peace talks being held in Cuba.
He said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) guerrilla group never targeted civilians but recognised it has harmed civilians through use of excessive force, mistakes or unforeseen circumstances of war.
The statement read by Atrato made no mention about whether the Farc’s Marxist-inspired rebels would face justice in Colombian courts.
Some Farc leaders have been sentenced in absentia to long prison terms or face criminal charges, while others have been captured and are serving jail time.
Latin America’s longest running war has killed some 200,000 people since 1964.
The Farc and the government of centre-right President Juan Manuel Santos have held peace talks in Cuba for the past two years, reaching tentative agreements on three of five major issues.
The Farc’s statement yesterday came in direct response to a government request for the rebels to assume responsibility for victimising civilians, and it also appeared to be directed at the families of those killed in the war.
Family members and other victims of the violence have been given a formal role in the peace talks and have been flown in to address the negotiators, who are working toward an agreement on reparations.
The Farc said it had punished guerrillas who intentionally attacked civilians, although it gave no details and did not explain how its internal system of justice works.
“We take responsibility for each and every one of the acts of war committed by our ranks under the orders and instructions given by our command and we assume their repercussions,” the Farc said.
The Farc is expected to attempt to negotiate an amnesty as part of the peace deal but it would face fierce opposition from conservative politicians in Colombia. Santos was re-elected for a second term in June, defeating a right-wing challenger who had threatened to end the talks had he been elected.
Negotiators have already agreed that the Farc could become a legal political party should a final peace deal be reached, but the two sides have yet to address amnesty. Some additional high-ranking guerrilla commanders joined the talks last week, injecting a sense of urgency to the talks. Still, the war has continued with Farc and government forces clashing periodically. The rebel forces are estimated at 8,000 strong.
