The announcement of dialogue between the National Government and the Second Marquetalia has generated great expectations in the department of Nariño, especially in those populations that have been marked by violence and armed conflict.
The Second Marquetalia is a dissident structure of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that continues to commit crimes in this region, to which the community is waiting for the result of the conversations between the State and this group outside the law.
The National Government and the Second Marquetalia, which are the dissidents led by alias Iván Márquez, will formally install and begin the talks table on June 24 in Caracas, Venezuela. Specifically, it was established that the first cycle of negotiations between the National Government and the dissidents of ‘Iván Márquez’ will be carried out between June 25 and 29.
This is the Agreement for the formal start of the Peace Dialogue Table between the National Government of Colombia and the Second Marquetalia – Bolivarian Army. The document is signed by the Colombian peace commissioner, Otty Patiño, and by ‘Márquez’.
This development has the potential to significantly impact local communities. For many of these populations, the conflict has been a constant source of insecurity and displacement, affecting their daily lives and socioeconomic development. The talks could represent an opportunity to move towards a more lasting peace and ease tensions that have dominated the region for decades.
However, there is also skepticism and concern. Previous experiences of dialogues and agreements with armed groups have had mixed results, and communities fear that the negotiations will not translate into tangible improvements in their security and well-being.
The success of these dialogues will depend largely on the willingness and ability of both parties to commit to an authentic and sustainable peace process.
The agenda will have as basic points the “de-escalation of the conflict and preparation of territories of peace, the construction of territories of peace, victims as a transformative social subject, conditions for peaceful coexistence and implementation and verification.”
The Government and the Second Marquetalia “will be guided by the principle ‘agreed agreement, agreement fulfilled’, which includes design, start-up, implementation and compliance verification.” The meeting in which the start of peace negotiations was agreed took place on Monday and Tuesday in Venezuela and was attended by, in addition to Patiño and Márquez, the heads of the Government’s negotiating delegations in these dialogues, Armando Novoa, and the Second Marquetalia, alias ‘Walter Mendoza’. There were also representatives from the governments of Cuba, Norway, Venezuela, the United Nations and the Episcopal Conference of Colombia.
In summary, while the announcement of dialogues offers renewed hope, it also raises challenges and expectations that will need to be carefully managed if true and lasting peace is to be achieved in Nariño.
