Peace deal's promise fades fast

Nearly 100 former FARC fighters built lives on a Colombian farm through a 2016 peace agreement. Now they fear the new president will dismantle the institutions protecting them.

How the cooperative was born

Comuccom members pooled their reincorporation money and built La Granja de Paz from abandoned land in Putumayo, creating fishponds, a plant nursery, an apiary, and a daycare for the community.

The peace agreement explained

The 2016 accord between Colombia's government and the FARC ended over five decades of fighting and created a transitional justice framework to help demobilize and reintegrate former combatants.

A decade of broken promises

The peace agreement has failed to meet expectations. Armed groups led by former FARC members have expanded in strategic areas like Putumayo, a coca production hub with drug trafficking routes.

Violence never really stopped

In 2022, a Comuccom founder was killed by a FARC dissident faction. Nearly 500 former FARC members have been killed since 2016, including 46 in Putumayo alone.

“One of our members was murdered here, others have been threatened and have had to leave, but despite all that, we've managed to hold our ground.”

New president, old tactics

Abelardo de la Espriella took office August 7 as a critic of the peace agreement. He shut down peace negotiations and plans to restart coca eradication programs and intensify military operations.

Peace talks collapse

De la Espriella shut down ongoing negotiations with criminal groups in September. Of nine attempted talks since 2022, only negotiations with the Border Commandos produced results.

Coca eradication returns

De la Espriella plans to restart coca eradication programs. Colombia produces 70 percent of the world's cocaine supply, with over 44,000 hectares in Putumayo alone as of 2024.

Military offensive kills civilians

De la Espriella launched a rapid military offensive against guerrilla groups. At least 84 people died in August confrontations, the highest monthly toll since 2018, with mounting civilian casualties.

Echoes of a darker era

De la Espriella's approach recalls former President Álvaro Uribe's early 2000s offensive against the FARC. Though praised for security gains, Uribe was accused of overseeing war crimes and sponsoring militias.

Former fighters remember the fear

María A., a former FARC combatant, lived through the Uribe years and watched her husband killed in 2021. She's ready to flee if paramilitaries return, fearing for her children's safety.

“I'm not going to wait for paramilitaries to come in and recruit [my son], like when Uribe was in power.”

Questioning the peace choice

Lucía Pianda, a former FARC fighter in La Carmelita, questions whether accepting the peace agreement was worth it. Violence and unemployment have made her consider rejoining armed groups.

“Sometimes I even look around, and I feel like going [back to the armed groups] because I don't see anything here, I don't see any future for myself.”

A chilling historical warning

The Patriotic Union, a party formed from 1980s FARC peace talks, saw over 6,000 members killed by government-allied paramilitaries after strong electoral showings between 1986 and 1990.

“We think: 'Are they going to kill all of us?' Because look at what happened with the other people that demobilized all those years ago.”

Key institutions face elimination

De la Espriella announced plans to eliminate key peace institutions including the Unit for the Implementation of the Final Agreement and the high commissioner for peace, cutting over 200 positions.

Budget cuts threaten survival

The Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization faces a 37 percent budget cut. Many ex-combatants depend on monthly stipends of around 600 dollars tied to reincorporation progress.

Justice tribunal under threat

De la Espriella threatened to slash funding for the transitional justice tribunal established by the peace agreement. Hundreds of ex-combatants still await legal decisions before the court's 2033 mandate expires.

Land reform stalls again

Comuccom and other former FARC associations have worked for years to purchase land as part of the peace agreement's agrarian reform. Progress has been considerable but barriers remain.

They're staying, for now

Despite uncertainty, Comuccom members tend their fish and bees, play soccer, and lobby for daycare improvements. They hope to build something together that transcends old divisions.

“We want to work this land with everyone, no matter who they are, so that we can embrace each other one day and see that we built this together.”