Land reform a sore issue in peace talks
Verbal shots were fired between the Colombian Government and the FARC over the key issue of land reform during the peace talks in the past week.
The exchange began with President Santos stating he is “confiscating the FARC of their ill-gotten land”, which amount to 500,000 hectares in the south of the country, and that he will return the land to the peasants who “deserved” it. He branded former FARC leader Mono Jojoy – now deceased – as “one of the great landowners” who had “stripped the state”.
FARC leader Ivan Marquez said he hoped the government would not “kick the table” and attributed Santos’ recent statement as driven by “electoral whims” and his desire to rebound in the polls.
Indeed, the President’s ratings have taken a hit in the past month, where a Gallup Colombia poll found 47% of its respondents viewing the President unfavourably, up from a 39% in December. What is more, another poll by the same organisation found that fewer people support the peace talks continuing until a resolution is met than did two months ago, with more now supporting the idea of defeating the guerrillas “militarily”.
It suggests that the Colombian people are growing impatient with the progress of the talks, the details of which have seldom been made public but for a few ad hoc press briefings by either side, and the President himself is taking the hit for this through a fall in support.
The FARC of course has no such worries of democratic accountability, and they sidestepped responding directly to the accusations made by Santos. In recent days they have submitted over 40 proposals which they believe will “streamline” the talks.
Key among these is the creation of a commission to investigate and verify the countless number of reports and testimonies of land dispossession during the armed conflict, which they attribute to “corporations, large landowners, government officials and businessman”.
The talks are set to take a recess at the end of the week.