Several armed conflicts continue in Colombia.
It should also inform discussions of whether and against whom a military strategy may be appropriate. Whether the groups meet the international legal standards to be parties to an armed conflict will determine whether the government is using the appropriate rules of engagement against them, including in controversial operations in which alleged child soldiers have been killed. However, this debate has largely ignored the critical question of how to characterize the situation in the country. The Colombian government has recently been criticized for the military nature of its security strategy. After presenting the current “post-conflict” scenario, it discusses the government’s characterization of FARC dissident groups, and the challenges in making such an assessment. This piece analyses these FARC dissident groups through the lens of international humanitarian law. Myriad armed groups, often called “FARC dissident groups,” emerged. Nonetheless, some FARC fighters rejected the peace process or rearmed. Over 10,000 FARC members demobilized and handed in weapons in a process verified by a United Nations mission in the country. Three years ago last month, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas formally completed demobilization, marking the end of their 53-year conflict with the Colombian government. Graffiti in the city of Tumaco, Colombia, where FARC dissident groups operate, says "peace." © Human Rights Watch, 2018
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