Latin America

Judi Lynn

(160,542 posts) Fri Jul 10, 2015, 02:42 PM Jul 2015

FARC urges government to dismantle neo-paramilitary forces

FARC urges government to dismantle neo-paramilitary forces
Posted by Adriaan Alsema on Jul 10, 2015

Colombia’s largest rebel group FARC urged the government on Thursday to effectively dismantle paramilitary organizations, fearing that these right-wing drug trafficking groups will violently frustrate the guerrillas’ reintegration if peace is reached.

The FARC has been engaged in peace talks with the government since November 2012 in an attempt to leave behind decades of drug-fueled political violence and become a political movement.

After initially refusing to disarm, the FARC said it was willing to lay down its weapons, but needed guarantees that its disarmed members wouldn’t be subject to a political extermination campaign.

The UP trauma

Following a peace deal with then-President Belisario Betancur (Conservative Party) in 1985, the FARC joined other leftist forces to form the Patriotic Union, a far-left political party that sought the political inclusion of the FARC and other leftist forces.

However, following its formation the party became subject to an extermination campaign by right-wing paramilitary forces who — in conjunction with politicians and elements within the military — killed thousands of supporters and leaders of the party, including two presidential candidates.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/farc-urges-government-to-dismantle-neo-paramilitary-forces/

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FARC urges government to dismantle neo-paramilitary forces (Original Post) Judi Lynn Jul 2015 OP

No dice. forest444 Jul 2015 #1

Aren't they, though? For the billions of U.S. taxpayers' hard-earned dollars pouring in, Judi Lynn Jul 2015 #2

forest444

(5,902 posts)

1. No dice.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Fri Jul 10, 2015, 05:27 PM

Jul 2015

Too busy having fun with U.S. taxpayer money.

Judi Lynn

(160,542 posts)

2. Aren't they, though? For the billions of U.S. taxpayers' hard-earned dollars pouring in,

Reply to forest444 (Reply #1)

Sat Jul 11, 2015, 05:56 AM

Jul 2015

they are treated to a lifestyle, among government and military officials they know, as do we, they could never experience without continuing the illusion they must fight the leftists perpetually.

They would dry up and blow away without constant coddling and bribing.

In return, the U.S. gov't gets what Donald Rumsfeld termed a "forward operating base" (7 all over Colombia), also known as "lily pad", from which aggression can be launched in any direction.

The only people who lose are the massive poor population of Colombia, all the displaced people of Colombia, 2nd largest in the world, and the struggling U.S. taxpayers who aren't wealthy enough to obtain special favors like tax loopholes from the government they support under penalty of law.

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