The Process of Reintegration of Former Combatants in the Colombian Context as Compared to the Process of Reintegration in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua
Abstract
The social situation in Colombia has been characterized by over fifty years of internal warfare. This situation was the product of differences between political parties dating from the nineteenth century. Repression against democratic opposition groups and the exclusion of certain social groups from the political process explain the rise of guerrilla groups in the 1960s and 1970s, including the one known as Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). The government is currently conducting a peace process with the FARC so that, very soon, former combatants will need to be reintegrated into civil life. This has caused much uneasiness because, eight years after the 32,000 paramilitary combatants from the AUC (another armed militia) were demobilized, 3,500 of them have committed violent acts. Other questions about the process of reintegration include: Is Colombia prepared to reintegrate former FARC combatants? What can Colombia learn from the process of reintegration conducted in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua after conflict ended? What internal challenges faced these countries after demobilized combatants were reintegrated into civil society? In order to answer these questions the above-mentioned conflicts were analyzed from the perspective of the four instruments of national power (DIME).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1040919
Entities
People
- Cristian R. Alba Alba
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College