“Colombia: Renegades target the heart of peace”: Angelika Rettberg and Stefan Peters on DW
Screenshot DW Online (16.01.2020)
“Colombia’s structural problems continue to be an obstacle to ending the violence”. This forceful sentence introduces the article published on January 15, 2020 by the German news network, Deutsche Welle (DW) for its Spanish-language news services.
In its recent article, DW consulted Angelika Rettberg, researcher at Universidad de los Andes and spokesperson for the university at the German-Colombian Peace Institute – CAPAZ, and Prof. Dr. Stefan Peters, CAPAZ Academic Director and Professor of Peace Studies at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU).
Both experts referred to the complex situation that is currently playing out in the implementation of the Colombian peace process. The killing of social leaders in the short time since the beginning of 2020; new illegal interceptions by the Colombian army and what seems to have been an attack by FARC-EP dissidents on their former leader and now a member of the FARC party, Rodrigo Londoño, do not seem to paint an encouraging picture, according to the publication: “the reality is that post-agreement Colombia has turned out to be a much bloodier place than many expected”.
“The peace agreement brought the conflict with the FARC to an end, but it did not manage to eliminate many of the fundamental drivers of the violence”, stresses political scientist Angelika Rettberg, while CAPAZ Academic Director, Stefan Peters emphasises: “It is the government’s obligation to protect its citizens”.
Anarte, Enrique. Colombia: the renegades target the heart of peace. Available at: Deutsche Welle in Spanish, January 15, 2020 [Accessed online:16.01.2020 at: https://www.dw.com/es/colombia-los-renegados-apuntan-al-corazón-de-la-paz/a-52017460].
(Text NW005-2020: Claudia Maya, English version: Tiziana Laudato)