El Diamante, Llanos del Yarí, Colombia.—Delegates gathered at the 10th National Conference of guerilla forces in this remote settlement, expressed their concern regarding paramilitary activity once the armed conflict is concluded, and the peace agreement is signed with the government of Juan Manuel Santos.
Comandante Pablo Catatumbo, member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) Secretariat, reported during a September 19 press conference that worries had been raised, saying, "The people said, for example: What is going to happen with paramilitarism? Is the government really going to keep its word? How is our reintegration into the economic life of the country going to work?"
Despite the assertion that paramilitary bands were demobilized during the Álvaro Uribe administration, they have in reality evolved into the so-called bacrim (criminal gangs) which operate in different regions of Colombia.
"Also emerging were concerns about whether prisoners were going to be released," Catatumbo continued, referring to the approximately 4,000 members and supporters of the FARC-EP who have been incarcerated for their affiliations.
One of the most dramatic moments during the Conference was the arrival of a number of imprisoned guerillas who were reunited with family members and comrades, following their temporary release to attend the event.
September 17-23, more than 300 delegates and invitees are debating the peace agreement reached in Havana, and the incorporation of the guerilla organization into civil society, during an event which should be the FARC-EP's last conference in arms.
Discussions were presided by the highest ranking leader of the guerrillas, Comandante Timoléon Jiménez, along with Iván Márquez, head of the negotiating team which met face to face with the government of Juan Manuel Santos for almost four years in the Cuban capital, to hammer out an agreement.
The debate is focused on 30 proposals summarizing the Havana peace accords' 297 pages, which establish guidelines to begin to address the social and political issues that propelled thousands of Colombian men and women to launch an armed struggle.
Catatumbo reported that the group is united in the search for peace, saying, "Generally speaking, noted in all of the comments was unanimous support for the agreement signed in Havana, for our commander in chief (Timoleón Jiménez), the FARC-EP Chiefs of Staff, and the peace delegation."
The guerilla leader explained that, nonetheless, the forces on the ground question the government's commitment to honoring the agreement.
The discussions ended late in the afternoon, and when night fell, El Diamante was transformed, becoming a festival. In the middle of the plain, with no signs of civilization in sight, erected was a fully equipped stage, which would have been the envy of any performer around the world.
On the conference's inaugural day, the reggae group Alerta Kamarada played, followed on Sunday the 18th by Rebeldes del Sur, composed of guerillas from Comandante Fabián Ramírez' troops, who got the crowd moving with music for peace to the beat of cumbia and merengue. Also performing were the Escamilla brothers, with Latin American classics like "La Guantanamera" and "Solo le pido a dios."
