Following the peace treaty signed last week between the government of President Santos (photo) and the head of the FARC-EP, last October 2 through a popular referendum, the Colombian people expressed their opinion on the ratification. 50.22% of the voters chose "no", for a total of 6,430,708 votes, thus rejecting the peace agreement and related negotiations that lasted four years which, with the ratification of the treaty, would have put an end to five decades of war.
It is true that the "Matteo" hurricane, which hit the coastal areas, dissuaded a large number of voters from appearing at the polls. The victory of the NO has, however, made public the criticism of the work of the government: according to the voters the latter would not have done enough to "punish the rebels".
The violation of human rights, the lucrative profits of the group deriving from the illicit trafficking of cocaine, and the social reintegration of child soldiers remain unclear points to NO.
Finally, the future role of the FARC-EP as a political party would be an open question to be defined. After the required disarmament (an essential condition for peace) 10 would be the seats of the Congress given to the new Movement.
Bitterness for the result was expressed, in a statement, by the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces . The same group, which currently defines itself as a political "Movement", reaffirms its firm will to pursue the negotiation of peace in the future and reiterates the willingness of rebel fighters to give up their weapons.
The Colombian president said that, despite the referendum result, the ongoing "ceasefire" will continue and the negotiations will continue in Havana, Cuba.
Even the second largest rebel group in Colombia, theEjército de Liberaciòn National (ELN), which last week announced that it would also be ready to negotiate, despite not having taken part in the negotiations of this agreement, invited through a social media to continue negotiations to end the conflict.
(photo: Colombian presidency)
