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Securing Peace In The Borderlands: A Post-Agreement Strategy For Colombia

PUTTING FRONTIER RESEARCH INTO ACTION: CO-DESIGNING SECURITY POLICIES TO TACKLE VIOLENT NON-STATE GROUPS IN PERIPHERAL SPACES 

August 2016

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People’s Army (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and other violent non-state groups are deeply entrenched in Colombia’s border areas. If a durable peace is to be achieved following the peace agreement, uncertainty over what happens in these border regions must be addressed. A comprehensive post-agreement strategy for Colombia requires a particular focus on the country’s borderlands where it will need to move: • From state neglect to sustainable development; • From insecurity produced by multiple violent non-state groups to citizen security which is focused on people; • From transnational organised crime to lawful economic cross-border opportunities. This policy briefing sets out the challenges and actions in these three key areas. The management of risks and uncertainty over civilian security, particularly in border areas in the period immediately following a peace agreement, is critical to long term stability. This briefing is based on a multi-year study of Colombia’s border areas carried out between 2010 and 2016.

Violent Non-State Actors and Complementary Governance: What ISIS, Hizballah and FARC Have in Common

Violent Non-State Actors and Complementary Governance: What ISIS, Hizballah and FARC Have in Common

In the absence of a strong state, insurgents, traffickers or tribal warlords may provide political and socioeconomic goods through arrangements we characterize as ‘complementary governance.’ When formulating an effective response to this security challenge, policymakers and researchers must account for the complex connections and interactions between multiple non-state governing entities.

Megateo, the armed groups and the future of the people of Colombia’s Catatumbo

Megateo was one of the most wanted drug traffickers in Colombia. His death on October 2, 2015 was a major blow, but the people of Catatumbo have little reason to celebrate.

Colombia’s deal with the FARC could bring peace – or create a power vacuum

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londoño – alias Timochenko, the leader of Latin America’s longest-running insurgency, the FARC – have signed a historic deal which sets out a process of transitional justice for Colombia. They have committed to signing the final peace agreement within six months.

After more than five decades of armed conflict, six months is the blink of an eye, and both Colombia and the wider world must think fast to work out what comes next.

 
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