Peace Timeline 2014

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December 31, 2014

The FARC posts an early warning stating that if they continue, recent military
actions in Antioquia, Cauca, and Choc could lead the group to make decisions
about whether to prolong its unilateral cease-fire. The armed forces will not
renounce their constitutional obligation to defend the Colombian people, responds
Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzn. Colombias CERAC think-tank, which
monitors conflict events, reports that neither side has carried out an offensive action
since the guerrilla truce began.

December 22, 2014

Finally, the enemy has noticed that you are invincible and that today we have the
best army in our history, President Santos tells a military audience.
Colombias Army announces that soldier Carlos Becerra Ojeda has been taken captive
by the FARC following a December 19 guerrilla attack in Santander de Quilichao,
Cauca. This ambush, which killed five soldiers, was the last major FARC military
action before December 20, the first day of the guerrillas announced unilateral
cease-fire.

December 18, 2014

A government statement values the FARC announcement of a unilateral cease-fire,

but rejects the guerrillas verification proposal and refuses to withdraw the armed
forces until negotiations reach agreement on the final agenda point, ending the
conflict. President Santos compares the FARC offer to a rose with a stem full of
thorns.
FARC negotiators issue an unusually heartfelt apology after meeting with
representatives of Bojay, the Choc community where, in May 2002, a FARC gascylinder bomb killed about 119 civilians who had sought refuge from combat in the
towns church. The FARC statement has enormous meaning, says chief government

negotiator Humberto de la Calle.

The latest Gallup poll finds 62 percent of Colombian respondents agreeing with the
governments decision to start negotiation with the FARC (36 percent opposed), but
52 percent doubting that negotiators will reach an accord (45 percent optimistic).
The re-establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba will help the peace
process, Colombian Foreign Minister Mara ngela Holgun says, because this
internal conflict is like that remnant of the Cold War, and its good that it ends and
that we can live a different panorama.

December 17, 2014

The 31st round of FARC-government talks, the final round for 2014, ends in Havana.
The process should enter the home stretch, says chief government negotiator
Humberto de la Calle.

The FARC declares a unilateral cessation of fire and hostilities for an indefinite
period, effective December 20. The guerrilla negotiators statement calls for
verification of the cease-fire by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR),
The Latin American and Caribbean Community (CELAC), the International

Committee of the Red Cross, and the non-governmental Broad Front for Peace. The
cease-fire will end, the FARC warns, if guerrillas are attacked by government forces.

December 16, 2014

A final group of twelve conflict victims, the fifth since August, visits the negotiators
in Havana. Like the others, the visit is arranged by the United Nations, Colombias
Episcopal Conference, and its National University. The group includes members of
the community of Bojay, Choc, where a FARC gas-cylinder bomb killed about 119
civilians in 2002. It also includes Piedad Crdoba, a politician (and victim of
paramilitary violence) who has led citizen efforts to promote dialogue with the FARC.
Colombias politically conservative internal-affairs chief (procurador), Alejandro
Ordez, removed Crdoba from her Senate seat in 2010 citing alleged guerrilla
collaboration.

December 15, 2014

The peace negotiators Gender Subcommittee meets in Havana with the first of three
planned groups of visiting experts in gender issues, who are tasked with making
recommendations to the negotiators about the vision of gender in the accords
implementation.
All of our support to President Santos and to his unbreakable political will to
continue on the path to definitive peace in Colombia, says Ecuadorian President
Rafael Correa during a meeting with President Santos on Ecuadors side of the
countries border.

December 13, 2014

Led by Former President (now Senator) lvaro Uribe, thousands of Colombians

participate in Peace Without Impunity marches in several cities, expressing doubts

about, and opposition to, the FARC peace talks.

FARC negotiator and Secretariat member Pablo Catatumbo says that the guerrillas are
willing to face with revolutionary seriousness any hypothetical non-amnesty-able
legal infraction, like war crimes or crimes against humanity, but that its leaders are
innocent until proven guilty and should not be imprisoned a priori while impunity
persists for the oligarchy, the political class, and the military forces.

December 12, 2014

During a visit to Bogot, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issues lengthy and
energetic public expressions of support for Colombias peace process and for U.S.
assistance during a post-conflict phase. Kerry also echoes President Santos call on
the guerrillas to pick up the dialogues pace, noting that time is very important. The
longer it takes, the harder it may get. And I would urge everybody to use time to
advantage and to move, because as with any negotiation, they cannot be open-ended.

December 11, 2014

For us, the participation and support of the United States to the peace process is
crucial, President Santos says while visiting Miami for an event hosted by the
foundation of former U.S. President Bill Clinton. I want to thank you for continuing

to persist in Colombia in the dream of peace, Clinton tells Santos.

December 10, 2014

The 31st round of talks begins in Havana, with de-escalation of the conflict the
principal topic of discussion.
Declaration of chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle

December 9, 2014

Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese leaders meeting at the 24th Ibero-American
Summit in Veracruz, Mexico adopt a declaration [PDF], proposed by Argentina, that
expresses our most decided support to Colombias peace process and congratulates
the accords reached at the table. The declaration also calls on the ELN not to allow
this unique opportunity to pass and add themselves to this process.

December 6, 2014

At a series of speeches before military audiences, President Santos says there is no

possibility that a successful peace process might leave the armed forces in a
disadvantaged position. Santos adds that in a post-conflict Colombia, the military
and police would focus on citizen security.

December 4, 2014

President Santos tells a radio interviewer that Colombia will have to alter its laws to
include narcotrafficking as a connected political crimein other words, to allow
demobilized guerrillas to avoid additional punishment for drug trafficking used to
raise funds for their fight against the state.
The FARC responds with a December 14 statement insisting, We are rebels, not
narcotraffickers.

December 3, 2014

Negotiators in Havana announce [PDF] agreement for the resumption of peace talks,
following a suspension of over two weeks. The next round of talks will begin in
Havana on December 10. Negotiators will discuss possible measures to de-escalate
the conflict, and will host a visit from the fifth and final group of twelve conflict
victims.
Chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle says that the agreement is not a
change in the negotiation model nor will it lengthen the process. When we talk
about de-escalation, he adds, we are thinking that there could initially be measures,
more of a humanitarian than military character, that work to lower the intensity of the
confrontation.

A Datexco poll [PDF] finds 61 percent of Colombian respondents disagreeing with

the way in which President Santos is managing the peace process, and 55 percent
doubting that an accord will be signed.

December 2, 2014

Any officer, doesnt matter how important, showing the slightest sign of disloyalty
or lack of discipline will be out of the military, says President Santos on the day
following recently freed Gen. Rubn Daro Alzates resignation from the armed
forces.
Open letter to Gen. Alzate from FARC leader Timolen Jimnez

December 1, 2014

We can no longer wait for gestures that demonstrate to Colombians on the ground
that we are nearing the end of the conflict, says chief government negotiator
Humberto de la Calle. For months we have been discussing de-escalation measures
with the FARC. Again, it is time to pass from discussion to action.

Those who suspended the conversations cannot return with the intention of imposing
the date of their re-initiation, as though nothing has happened, reads a FARC
communiqu.
Wars must always have an end, and they often dont end with a complete victory
over the enemy, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell tells a forum in Bogot
hosted by Colombias El Espectador newspaper. You used hard power to bring you
to this point, and now you are in a position to use soft power to bring the conflict to its
end. Powell endorsed the idea of generous, less military-focused U.S. assistance to a
post-conflict Colombia, and advised Colombians that the FARC must be given a

place in society.

November 30, 2014

Two weeks after capturing them, the FARC releases Gen. Rubn Daro Alzate, a
civilian lawyer, and a corporal in Choc. Following an operation that the International
Committee of the Red Cross describes as complex, the freed individuals are
received by a committee of ICRC personnel and diplomats from Norway and Cuba.
FARC Secretariat member Pastor Alape, chief of the bloc that operates in the zone
one of the negotiators in Havana, travels from Cuba for the handoff.
President Santos sends the government negotiating team to Havana to meet with
FARC negotiators for a couple of days to evaluate where the process is, where were
going, and to do a cold, objective evaluation of the process, to see how we can
continue. Lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle says that among the
issues to discuss is what we have called the de-escalation of the conflict.
Colombian government communiqu
FARC communique
Statement of Gen. Alzate

November 19, 2014

Following intensive diplomatic efforts by guarantor nations Norway and Cuba, the
FARC agrees to release Gen. Rubn Daro Alzate and the civilian lawyer and corporal
who were captured along with him in Choc department on the 16th. The guerrillas
also agree to release two soldiers captured in Arauca department on the 9th. President
Santos says that once the handover occursan operation involving the International
Committee of the Red Cross and a temporary cessation of military operationsthe
suspended peace talks will re-launch.

November 18, 2014

The 31st round of negotiations, which will include a fifth and final visit of 12 conflict
victims, was scheduled to begin in Havana.

November 16, 2014

President Santos suspends peace talks with the FARC after guerrillas, for the first
time ever in the conflict, capture an Army general. [According to press reports, the
FARCs 34th Front took Gen. Rubn Daro Alzate, the chief of the armed forces
Joint Task Force Titan in Choc department, in northwestern Colombia. The
general, together with a civilian advisor and a corporal, was visiting a development
project in a town not far from Quibd, Chocs capital. He was in civilian dress and
without a security contingent. Tomorrow negotiators were to travel to another round
of talks in Havana, the President announces before dawn on the 17th. I will tell
them not to go and that the talks are suspended until these people are released.

November 13, 2014

Several government peace negotiators and other senior officials speak at a Bogot
forum about the peace process and possible post-conflict challenges. Negotiators
insist that there is little difference between the FARC abandoning its weapons or
surrendering its weapons after an accord is signed. Lead negotiator Humberto de la
Calle calls for a broader definition of political crimes that will allow amnesty, and
non-extradition, for activities like narcotrafficking. Colombias chief prosecutor
(fiscal), Eduardo Montealegre, and internal-affairs chief (procurador), Alejandro
Ordez, disagree on the severity of imprisonment, or deprivation of liberty, for the
worst human rights violators. Senator Roy Barreras, chairman of the Senates Peace
Committee, warns that time is running out for a referendum that could run concurrent
with the October 16, 2015 local elections.

The latest Colombia Opina poll, taken by several media outlets, finds Colombians
somewhat more optimistic about the FARC peace talks. The proportion who believe
the government and FARC might reach an accord is 42 percent, up from 33 percent in
the same polls April 2014 sample. 53 percent, down from 63 percent in April, declare
themselves pessimistic.

November 12, 2014

Rep. Ed Royce (R-California) and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York), the chairman and
ranking Democratic Party members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issue a
joint statement upon their return from a visit to Colombia. It contains language
supportive of the FARC peace process: Now more than ever, the United States must
stand with Colombia as President Santos negotiates a historic peace agreement with
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). If a peace agreement is
reached, we pledge to do our part in Congress to continue to provide Colombia with
the support it needs.
I want to tell the FARC categorically that the time has come to make big decisions,
lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle says, calling in particular for the
FARC to recognize its victims more explicitly. Colombian society needs concrete
signs that the FARCs desire for peace is real.
Demobilization and the abandonment of guerrillas weapons are necessary
conditions for peace, says government peace negotiator Sergio Jaramillo, the
Presidencys high commissioner for peace, at a forum in the city of Ccuta. If there
is no abandonment of weapons, there is no end to the conflict. Jaramillo continued,
The basic structure of the process is that the accord is signed, a final and definitive
phase is entered, a verification mission is established, and everyone begins to do what
he or she must do.

November 9, 2014

The FARC captures two soldiers in the department of Arauca, in northeastern

Colombia. The army calls the retention of Paulo Cesar Rivera Capela and Jhonatan
Andres Daz Franco a kidnapping and a violation of pre-conditions for peace talks.
The FARC calls them prisoners of war.

November 6, 2014

The ELN denounces the disappearance of one of its members who was to participate
in exploratory talks with the Colombian government. A guerrilla communiqu says
that Eduardo Martnez was captured at a police checkpoint near the city of Ccuta, in
Norte de Santander department near the Venezuelan border, on October 30.

November 5, 2014

President Santos meets with Chancellor Angela Merkel while visiting Germany. She
says, Today I have assured him Germanys total support, not just concerning
negotiations with the FARC, but also for those carried out with other rebel groups.
She rejects criticism that the Havana talks are taking too long: Two years of
negotiations are a very short period of time for a fifty-year conflict. And she
announces a 75 million euro per year line of credit for Colombia through 2016 to
build peace and reconciliation.

The day after midterm elections give the Republican Party control of the U.S. Senate,
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio visits Bogot. At a press conference, Spains
EFE news service describes him as extremely prudent when asked about
Colombias peace process. He does, however, endorse the idea of maintaining high
levels of U.S. aid to a post-conflict Colombia: If you dont do that, youre losing
what you invested at the beginning.

Only with an authentic recognition and expression of regret from the FARC can
Colombian society pardon and begin building a stable and long-lasting peace, reads a
column in Colombias El Tiempo newspaper by Internal Affairs Chief (Procurador)
Alejandro Ordez, who has criticized the possibility that the talks might leave
guerrilla human rights abuses unpunished.

November 4, 2014

President Santos, visiting Brussels, meets Belgian and European Union officials, who
offer public expressions of support for the peace process. We are willing to give
concrete assistance to Colombia once a peace accord goes into effect, once the
negotiations are over, says European Parliament President Martin Schultz. Adds
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, We are on Colombias side and
we are confident that peace will be made.
FARC members kill two leaders of the Nasa indigenous group in the town of Toribo,
in the southwestern department of Cauca. The unarmed leaders had just helped take
down a FARC billboard. Guerrillas shot at a third indigenous community leader, and
when Manuel Antonio Tumi and Daniel Coicu pursued the shooters, FARC
members shot them. On November 8, the FARC negotiators posted to their website a
statement expressing grief and concern about an incident that could have been
resolved through dialogue. The Nasa communitys Indigenous Guard, an unarmed
force, pursued and captured several indigenous FARC members, then held a trial that
quickly condemned them to decades in prison. The UN representative in Colombia
expresses concerns about due process, and top FARC leader Timolen Jimnez issues
a statement arguing that the FARC members sought to avoid conflict, but ultimately

acted in self-defense.

November 3, 2014

President Santos visits Spain, where he meets with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and
King Juan Carlos. I hope that the FARC and ELN know to take advantage of the
historic opportunity that President Santos offers them, together with the majority of
Colombians who re-elected him, says Rajoy. Santos asks for Spains help in setting
up a special European Union trust fund for post-conflict assistance, similar to one that
the entity set up in July for the Central African Republic.
I have to say with all clarity that I am the worst enemy that the FARC has had in all
of its history, President Santos tells the Spanish daily ABC.
A statement from the ELN laments that the government has required secrecy about
the progress and challenges of the formal exploratory dialogue that has been
occurring for more than a year.

November 2, 2014

The 30th round of peace talks ends in Havana.

Joint communiqu upon conclusion of 30th round
The round concludes with the fourth of five planned visits of 12 conflict victims.
What we, as survivors of the armed conflict, told the negotiators is that as victims
with the moral authority to demand it, we do not allow them to get up from this
table, says Jineth Bedoya, a journalist and victim of the paramilitaries.
In statements to the press, chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle repeats
the governments insistence that the FARC begin disarming upon the signing of an
accord. The basic premise of this whole process is that once we sign a final accord,
the FARC will have to begin the process of no longer having weapons. De la Calle
adds that while the FARCs recognition of responsibility to its victims was important,
it did not go far enough.

On the eve of a visit to Europe, President Santos publishes a column in Spains El

Pas newspaper entitled Colombias Peace Is the Worlds Peace.

October 30, 2014

The FARC makes its clearest public recognition of its victims so far. We explicitly
recognize that our actions have affected civilians at different times and under different
circumstances throughout the conflict, negotiator Pablo Atrato says in a declaration
to the media. Regarding the FARCs responsibility to these victims, Atrato says that
the guerrillas will assume the responsibility that concerns us, but offers no details.
He insists that the guerrillas never had a policy of systematic and deliberate
victimization of the population. Colombian Congresswoman Clara Rojas, a FARC
hostage for over six years, called the guerrilla statement a first step.

October 29, 2014

The weekly newsmagazine Semana reveals that the Colombian Armys Military
Intelligence Center (CIME) has been compiling a database of the mostly personal email addresses of about 500 journalists, foreign citizens, diplomats, and others whom
it has never contacted. Those on the list include employees of the Colombian
governments High Commissioner for Peace, International Committee of the Red
Cross, and others involved in facilitating negotiations. This episode, wrote Juanita
Len, founder of the La Silla Vaca website, makes evidence that within the Army
there exists a deep and dangerous distrust of the peace process, which the Santos

administration has not been able to overcome.

Receiving a visit from Prince Charles, President Santos thanks him for the United
Kingdoms support of the peace process.

October 27, 2014

I know its hard for many people to see these personalities who have done so much
damage to Colombians there [in Havana] with some arrogance, I know that is
difficult to accept, says President Santos. But if we want peace we have to make
peace with our enemies. One doesnt make peace with ones friends. He concludes,
Those are some very big toads that one has to swallow. But it is the way to reach
peace.
As we have said on several occasions, we fully support the Colombian government
in its efforts to reach a negotiated peace, U.S. Ambassador Kevin Whitaker tells a
radio interviewer. We are here to help any way they want us to, and confidentially,

they share things with us and we must maintain that confidentiality.

The commander of Colombias army, Gen. Jaime Lasprilla, makes clear that the
military will pursue guerrilla negotiators being returned from Cuba: Any terrorist
within the FARCs structures, who is generating terrorist acts, becomes a military
target.
The FARC publishes minimal proposals 1|2 for point 2 of the Victims negotiating
agenda item, Recognition of the victims of the conflict.

October 24, 2014

The 30th round of talks begins in Havana.

October 23, 2014

The reason for the four-day delay in the launch of the 30th round of talks is revealed:
eighteen new FARC negotiators arrive in Havana. They include two members of the
FARCs seven-member Secretariat, Pastor Alape and Carlos Antonio Losada. Also
arriving in Havana are four other members of the FARCs 23-member Central
General Staff. Another notable addition is Henry Castellanos, alias Romaa, one of
the most-wanted guerrilla leaders due to his high-profile role in pioneering
kidnapping for ransom on Bogots outskirts during the 1990s. In order to make room
for the 18 new negotiators on the guerrillas 30-member negotiating team, a similar
number are sent back to Colombia. They include Andrs Paris, who has been in

Havana since 2012.

It seems unacceptable to me that some critics place the armed forces in a condition
that does not correspond to them, says Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzn. Its
not true that the armed forces are enemies of the peace process they are even
working on scenarios of transition and transformation.

There is enormous international expectation with respect to the current peace

dialogues and what is to come, Christian Leffler, managing director for the Americas
at the European Unions External Action Service, tells Colombias El Espectador.
Leffler was in Bogot to discuss, among other topics, the possible creation of a
European trust fund for post-conflict Colombia.

October 22, 2014

Government negotiators Humberto de la Calle and Sergio Jaramillo present a lengthy

response to former President lvaro Uribes published allegations that they are
capitulating to the FARC at the negotiating table. Two days earlier, President
Santos had invited Uribe to hold a dialogue about the peace process. Uribe turns him

down.

October 20, 2014

There are people, including some who call themselves of the left, provocatively
affirming that what has been agreed in the three accords so far constitutes treason to,
and a renunciation of, our struggle. This doesnt keep us from pushing forward, reads
a statement from maximum FARC leader Timolen Jimnez.

October 19, 2014

FARC negotiator Fabin Ramrez publishes a statement indicating the FARCs

willingness to recognize and repair those who have been victims of errors the
group may have committed. He denies, though, that the guerrilla group has committed
crimes against humanity, adding that in our actions there has never been bad faith or
policies designed to endanger the peoples rights.

October 17, 2014

Government and FARC negotiators announce that the launch of the 30th round of
talks, scheduled for October 20, will be delayed until the 24th.
Former President Uribes political party, the Democratic Center, issues a document
entitled Santoss 52 Capitulations in Havana, which sharply criticizes the content of
the three recently publicized accords reached with the FARC. Lead government

negotiator Humberto de la Calle responds, There has not been any capitulation.

October 9, 2014

Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzn reveals that during the past year, the Colombian
government has allowed maximum FARC leader Timolen Jimnez, alias
Timochenko, to travel to Cuba on a small number of occasions. His flights,
facilitated by Venezuela and Cuba, originated in Venezuela where the FARC leader is
apparently spending much of his time. The visits occurred during breaks in the talks
when Colombian government negotiators were not in Havana. They were justified as
a means to speed up the FARCs ability to make negotiating decisions. An analysis by
Colombias most-circulated newsweekly, Semana, cites a government source saying
that the visits are an indicator of the advanced state of the talks.
President Santos convenes the National Peace Council, a civil-society advisory body
established by law in the 1990s, and asks its members to do more to educate the
public about the peace process, especially in rural Colombia.

Ambassador to Colombia Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby says that the United Kingdom

is studying how to contribute to Colombia in the post-conflict period, possibly
through a European Union fund being set up to help Colombia implement accords. A
UK decision, she said, will coincide with a late October visit to Colombia of the
Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

October 8, 2014

U.S. President Barack Obama and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos speak by
telephone. According to a White House release, President Obama underscored
continued strong U.S. support for the work done so far by the Colombian government
to bring an end to the longest running conflict in the Americas and expressed U.S.
readiness to work closely with Colombia during the post-conflict period.

October 7, 2014

Sen. Roy Barreras, president of the Colombian Senates peace commission, estimates
that implementing a possible peace accord with the FARC would cost a minimum of
90 trillion pesos (about US$45 billion) over ten years. He adds that, in 2015 alone,
Colombia may need US$300 million for demobilizations, US$2.5 billion for rural
development, US$750 million for justice, and US$1 billion for institutional
strengthening.
If the FARC dont take the deal, the Colombian people will go after them with a
vengeance and put an end to this, U.S. Southern Command commander Gen. John
Kelly tells a Washington audience. They ought to take the deal. If theyre listening,
this one time in 50 years, be smart. Take the deal.

October 3, 2014

At the close of the 29th round of talks in Havana, chief government negotiator
Humberto de la Calle calls on the FARC to recognize its responsibility to its victims
in a more categorical way. A FARC communiqu reads, Peace is not around the
corner, just like institutional transformations will not be done from one day to the
next, but they must begin. The guerrillas say that the seven sub-points of the final
agenda item, ending the conflict, must be negotiated simultaneously.
Joint communiqu on conclusion of victims visit
FARC greeting to victims delegation
You will be even more important in the post-conflict that we are now beginning to
design, President Santos tells a military audience. While he repeats that the armed

forces future is not a topic at the Havana negotiations, he says that in the postconflict they will be protagonists, stronger, more modern, citing the construction
projects carried out by military engineers as an example of their future role.
In another communiqu, the FARC rejects the idea of its members facing punishment
in Colombian tribunals after a peace accord.

October 2, 2014

Prosecutor-General Eduardo Montealegre suggests that former guerrillas accused of

human rights abuses might face substitution of sentences that deprive liberty for
other types of alternative penalties like de-mining.

A Datexco poll finds 42 percent of Colombians approving of President Santoss

management of the peace process, the same number as in the firms August poll.
Twenty-six percent, one point more than in August, believe that the FARC has
legitimate intentions to reach a peace accord.

October 1, 2014

A third group of 12 victims visits the negotiating table in Havana. Among the group
are two government officials who spent years as captives of the FARC: Meta
governor Alan Jara and Police Gen. Luis Herlindo Mendieta. FARC negotiators
reiterated their insistence that, although they did not detain him according to
international humanitarian standards, Gen. Mendieta was a prisoner of war and not
a victim. A UN statement regrets having to announce that three of the victims
delegation members, and two of its organizers, received death threats from armed
groups. This delegation, unlike the one before it, admits that it lacks consensus in
favor of a bilateral cease-fire.

September 30, 2014

The world is not perfect, President Santos tells interviewer Tim Padgett of WLRN
Miami. Yes, Venezuela and Cuba are helping us, because precisely they have
credibility with the FARC. And I really dont understand people who criticizeWhat
is the alternative? Should I simply declare war on Venezuela?When you go down
to the nitty gritty, for me its very clear that sometimes realpolitik is necessary in
situations like the one we are living in Colombia.

September 27, 2014

Chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle announces that, according to

information he received from police intelligence, his computer, e-mail, and mobile
phone have suffered more than 17 hacking attempts.
Statement from FARC negotiators

September 26, 2014

Before a National Police audience, President Santos says, The Police are going to
play a very, very important role in the post-conflict, that post-conflict that as of now

we have to start imagining, although we also cannot declare victory at this moment,
because there is still a long road remaining ahead in the peace process.

September 25, 2014

In his address to the UN General Assembly, President Santos says that The process
we are carrying out with the FARC has been serious, realistic, dignified, and
effective, and has made concrete advances. He adds, When the post-conflict comes,
we will have immense challenges to reincorporate the demobilized, to guarantee state
presence in conflict-affected zones, and to guarantee citizen security. The
international communitys support and cooperation will be so important then, and we
call on it now.
The FARC releases an almost whimsical video explaining the Historical Commission
on the Conflict and its Victims.

September 24, 2014

Government and FARC negotiators agree to make public the contents of the three
draft accords that have so far been agreed. These documents had previously been
secret under the principle that they were not final and could be revisited.
Draft accord on rural development
Draft accord on political participation
Draft accord on solving the illicit drug problem
Chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle explains that keeping the accords
private left too large a margin for speculation, including ill-intentioned speculation."
President Santos says that making the accords public shows that there arent any
hidden cards.
FARC statement upon publication of accords
Former President lvaro Uribe criticizes the draft accords as terrorisms launch of a
political platform to justify its crimes with the governments capitulation.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis meets with a conflict victim and two demobilized excombatants.

September 23, 2014

A 29th round of government-FARC dialogues begins in Havana.

After speaking by phone with U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden during the UN General
Assembly sessions in New York, President Santos says, He reiterated again his
support for the peace process. He said that whatever the United States can do, it
would be there. Santos and Biden discussed the possibility of post-conflict Colombia
sending more military personnel to participate in UN peacekeeping missions. The
White House reports that Biden reaffirmed unwavering U.S. support for the
Colombian governments efforts to negotiate a lasting and just peace with the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

September 22, 2014

After meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon at the General Assembly

sessions in New York, President Santos discusses the United Nations possible post-

conflict role. Anything we do with the United Nations in the post-conflict must be
agreed with the FARC. [T]hey gave us a technical presentation of the different
options that they have. They have many options on all fronts. On the economic
cooperation front, on the accord verification front, on the peacekeeping mission front,
on verification and security guarantees.
In a lengthy report, the FARC negotiators provide their view of the dialogues so far.
While they complain that government negotiators have greater access to public
opinion and are ignoring civil societys proposals, they remain firm and optimistic
about what has been achieved so far. (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5)
The UKs opposition Labor Party approves a resolution in support of Colombias
peace process.

September 18, 2014

In a much-remarked speech, lead Colombian government negotiator Humberto de la

Calle warns that Colombias polarized political climate could render the peace
process inviable.
Ex-President Uribe responds, De la Calle acts so smooth over there [in Havana] as
the terrorists companion, and acts so strict and rigid telling the country that its
polarization will impede the accords ratification. Lets not be fooled by these tricks.
In a September 23 column in the Colombian daily El Tiempo, de la Calle clarifies that
his speech was not a call to silence critics of the peace process, but a call to improve
the tone of the debate.
In a world full of war-torn countries with governments on the verge of failure,
Colombia may at last have found the magic recipe to bring about peace, reads an
editorial in the Boston Globe.

September 16, 2014

A FARC ambush in the northern department of Crdoba kills seven policemen. Police
and defense ministry authorities say that the guerrillas were operating jointly with the
Urabeos, a paramilitary successor group. A guerrilla statement denies this.

September 11, 2014

On one side, the Colombian government speaks of peace, on the other side its
functionaries act like snipers against the process, babbling about surrender and mass
demobilizations, reads a statement from Rubn Morro, commander of the FARCs
Ivn Ros Bloc, which operates in northwestern Colombia. A mid2013 report from
the research organization InsightCrime had identified the Ivn Ros Bloc as perhaps
the weakest of the FARCs divisions in terms of command and control, and thus
likely to break away and turn into a criminal organization after a peace accord.

September 10, 2014

A second group of 12 victims visits the negotiating table in Havana. Nine of them are
women. The groups statement urgently demands that the government and

guerrillas enter into a bilateral ceasefire.

The 28th round of government-FARC talks closes.

Joint communiqu on close of 28th round of talks
FARC statement upon end of 28th round
A FARC greeting to the victims delegation calls for total recognition and integral
compensation for conflict victims.

September 9, 2014

A statement from FARC negotiators invites diverse sectors of Colombian society,

government, and business, as well as the U.S. government, to come to Havana for a
respectful debate over ideas and national visions.
FARC document laying out orienting proposals for the Victims agenda item

September 8, 2014

120 Colombian businesses launch a publicity campaign in favor of efforts to end the
armed conflict. The Soy CaPAZ (Im able) theme song features many of the
countrys best-known recording artists.

Speaking on a Colombian television program, President Santos says that members of

the armed forces accused of violating human rights should receive the same penalties
that demobilized guerrillas might get after a peace accord. What the military wants is
that there be no repetition of what weve seen so many times: that soldiers end up
going to jail if they committed some error during the conflict, and the guerrillas are on
the streets. That is unfair to the military. They are the ones most interested in seeing
that if one side gets [sentencing] benefits, these benefits should also cover them. That
is perfectly possible and that is what is going to be done. The President adds that the
presence of active-duty officers to the negotiating table in Havana is dignifying, not
denigrating, to the armed forces.

September 7, 2014

Government and FARC negotiators create a gender subcommittee that seeks to

include the perspective of women in the accords and negotiations. A FARC statement
denies allegations of sexual abuse or trafficking of women within the guerrilla group,

calling them defamatory campaigns and manipulations.

A new Gallup poll offers insights into the Colombian publics attitude toward the
peace process. 59 percent believe that President Santos took the right step by initiating
talks with the FARC, while 39 percent disagree. 47 percent believe that an accord will
be possible, while 51 percent disagree. 56 percent believe the government must keep
insisting on dialogue. 43 percent favor sacrificing some justice to reach peace, 52
percent disagree. 57 percent are willing to pay taxes to assist conflict victims. 81
percent oppose the idea of demobilized FARC members avoiding jail and entering
politics. 77 percent doubt that the FARC will make an effort to provide reparations to
their victims.
Asked by a reporter from Medellns El Colombiano whether the FARC are prepared
to ask their victims pardon, guerrilla negotiator Andrs Pars is evasive. We have
publicly expressed our willingness to take up any concept that shows our willingness
to reconcile. Were saying to the church, the government to all actors in this long
process of violence, that we should dedicate a day to pray for peace and send a
message to Colombians affected by the conflict, that we are willing to make an
accord, and that the best tribute and the best message would be the termination of the
armed conflict.
FARC minimum proposals 5, 6, and 7 for the Victims agenda topic

September 6, 2014

Speaking before a military audience in Coveas, Sucre, President Santos reiterates his
rejection of a bilateral cease fire. As they have always taken advantage of cease-fires
to arm themselves more, to gain space, were not going to accept a cease-fire. To the
contrary, the military offensive must be maintained, so we may end this conflict as
fast as possible. [I]f for some reason these people get up from the table, if they
dont accept the conditions that were talking about, if this fails, I dont want anyone
to tell me that we gave them a military advantage, a rest, that they somehow benefited

from the process.

FARC minimum proposals 2, 3, and 4 for the Victims agenda topic

September 4, 2014

If the FARC disarms, Who will end up with the weapons? The Colombian military,
President Santos says. He adds that it is the limit of ignorance so sayas former
President Uribe hadthat the presence of active-duty officers at the peace talks in
Havana was a humiliation for the military.

September 3, 2014

FARC minimum proposal 1 for the Victims agenda topic

September 2, 2014

The FARC publishes to its peace negotiation website an essay claiming that recently
elected Congresswoman Clara Rojas, whom the guerrillas held in captivity from 2002
to 2008, has no right to consider herself a conflict victim. It claims that Rojas
turned down an opportunity to gain her freedom. Lead government negotiator
Humberto de la Calle expresses a most emphatic protest at the article, which he
says violates her dignity as a person and as a woman. FARC negotiator Jess
Santrich later says that the essay does not reflect the guerrilla groups position on

Rojas.

In a statement, maximum FARC leader Timolen Jimnez casts doubt on the

governments optimistic declarations indicating that an accord could be possible in
the near term.
Another FARC statement suggests that, in response to the creation of a Transition
Command within the Colombian military, the guerrillas might create a
Normalization Command to study post-conflict reductions in the armed forces role.
We have to intensify at this moment, more and more, President Santos tells a
military audience. Why? To achieve the end of the conflict as soon as possible.
Because if we let down our guard, they [the FARC] wont have any motivation to
accelerate that accord.
We carried out a very thorough poll, and more than 60 percent of Colombians are not
well-informed about the progress of the peace process," President Santos says.

September 1, 2014

A 28th round of government-FARC negotiations begins in Havana.

We are not in the home stretch, reads a FARC communiqu.

August 31, 2014

Lead FARC negotiator Ivn Mrquez, expressing concern that the Santos
governments legislative agenda may include unconsulted legislation about
transitional justice, calls on Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo to visit Havana.
Cristo turns him down.

August 29, 2014

President Santos announces the creation of a Transition Command in the

Colombian armed forces, which will be charged with planning and executing possible

post-conflict disarmament of guerrillas. It is headed by Gen. Javier Flrez, who led

the delegation of active-duty military personnel that visited Havana a week earlier.
FARC negotiator Ivn Mrquez rejects the move as an attempt to involve the military
in issues that are of political nature by definition, noting that the negotiations have
yet to arrive at the topic of disarmament and demobilization.
High Commissioner for Peace Sergio Jaramillo says about a possible post-conflict
phase: The first challenge is security. The second is which will be the model of
reincorporation for the guerrillas. The third is the work of institutionally. The fourth is
financing, since Colombias peace should be a peace of resources.

August 28, 2014

In a meeting with President Santos, representatives of the OAS Inter-American

Human Rights Commission express support for the peace negotiations. As reported by
the Colombian governments High Commissioner for Peace, the commissioners
expressed the Inter-American Systems willingness to contribute to the search for
creative alternatives that allow the simultaneous achievement of the end of the armed
conflict and the satisfaction of victims rights to truth, justice, reparation, and nonrepetition.
The possibility does not exist that the FARC can keep its weapons while submitting
the state to a sort of college-entry exam, to see if the government qualifies as
complying or not with the accords, says chief government negotiator Humberto de la
Calle.

August 27, 2014

Im the one responsible for not transmitting, with enough pedagogy, the advances of
the process, what we seek from it, and its benefits, President Santos says, adding that
this has allowed the enemies of the process to poison the process, to misinform,
and present things the way they are not.

August 26, 2014

No one has suggested to the FARC, nor have we ever said to the government, that
there would be a single moment when we would hand over our arms. I repeat, there
will be no photo op of the FARC handing over its arms, guerrilla negotiator Andrs
Paris tells an Agnce France-Presse interviewer. We see disarmament as a long

process.

At the second anniversary of the announcement of talks with the FARC, government
negotiators explain their progress at several events in Colombia. Their messages
include an insistence that the FARC turn in its weapons, a refusal to consider a
constitutional convention, and an intention to allow transitional justice, including
alternative penalties, for military personnel accused of human rights violations.

August 25, 2014

President Santos says that the talks are in their final phase, which is the hardest: This
doesnt mean we are ad portas, at the point of achieving peace now, but now that we
have begun to talk about those issues, it seems to me that it is a very important step.

August 24, 2014

In a lengthy interview with Colombias Semana newsmagazine, detained computer

hacker Andrs Seplveda says that supporters of Former President lvaro Uribe,
along with some intelligence and military elements, hired him to tap into the
communications of FARC negotiators in Havana. He adds that these individuals had

also hired others to fully infiltrate the communications of government negotiators.

Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzn tells the Colombian daily El Tiempo that the
involvement of active-duty military officers at the negotiating table will guarantee
that the FARC turns in its weapons without trying to trick the country with hidden
caches. The FARC responds with a statement calling on Minister Pinzn to hold
your tongue.

August 22, 2014

At the end of the 27th round of talks, government and FARC negotiators announce
the creation of a Historical Commission on the Conflict and its Victims: 14 experts
who, during a 4-month period, will draft individual reports and combine them into a
consensus report on the origins and multiple causes of the armed conflict, the factors
and conditions that have contributed to it or have facilitated its long duration, and the
impact and effect that it has had on the civilian population, in the words of lead
government negotiator Humberto de la Calle.
Colombian government negotiators announce the formation of a sub-commission,
whose members include active-duty military officers, to craft proposals for the peace
talks Ending the Conflict agenda item. The motive of this sub-commission, a
statement from Colombias Presidency reads, seeks to begin the discussion of
different options and models for relinquishment of weapons, demobilization, and the
cease-fire that will only be implemented if a final accord is signed. The subcommission has one active-duty general, Javier Alberto Flrez, who steps down from
his command position as chairman of the Colombian armed forces joint chiefs of
staff. The FARC does not name members immediately; lead guerrilla negotiator Ivn
Mrquez laments that the government can bring the people it wants and we cant.
I dont really understand the criticism, President Santos says in a speech to a
bankers convention, referring to Former President lvaro Uribe and others who

voiced anger at the visit to the Havana peace talks of active-duty military officers.
That the military is going to be humiliated by confronting the enemy at the table and
agreeing how the enemy is going to give up its arms? Who better than they, who have
been the ones who have fought during all this time, to give advice, opinions, about
how to achieve an effective, controllable cease-fire and how to guarantee a successful
and real disarmament?
FARC statement upon end of 27th round of talks

August 21, 2014

A delegation of active-duty military officers travels to Havana, where they meet with
FARC negotiators. It is the first such interaction ever between guerrillas and nonretired military personnel. The seven-person group is headed by Gen. Javier Flrez,
chairman of the Colombian armed forces joint chiefs of staff.

August 17, 2014

A group of 12 conflict victims visits Havana and meets with government and FARC
negotiators. It is the first of five visits planned as part of the discussion of the peace
talks Victims agenda item, organized by the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic
church, the United Nations, and Colombias National University. The meeting was
carried out in an atmosphere of solemnity, respect, and, above all, much attention to
the testimony and proposals of each of the victims, reads a joint communiqu from
the negotiators. We consider this to be a transcendental moment in the process.
The victims delegation demanded that we bring these conversations to a good end,
and to set in motion acts of peace, lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle
says on August 20. A person who has suffered the violation of his or her rights must
not be victimized again, just for having gone to Havana to tell about his or her
tragedy.
Never before has the direct participation of those who have suffered wars
consequences contributed so much to any peace process, says lead FARC negotiator
Ivn Mrquez on August 20.

August 14, 2014

President Santos names Oscar Naranjo, a former National Police chief and member of
the governments negotiating team, to the post of Minister Counselor for the PostConflict, Human Rights, and Security. The post, which some view as the embryonic
version of a possible future minister of public security, involves planning for such
post-conflict activities as demobilizing and reintegrating ex-combatants, confronting
new armed groups that might emerge, and reorienting the security forces missions.

August 13, 2014

We will assume our responsibilities about victims, reads a FARC communiqu

which calls on the government to make an unprecedented fiscal effort to provide
reparations.

August 12, 2014

A 27th round of talks begins in Havana.

FARC statement upon launch of 27th round of talks

August 11, 2014

In an interview with the FARC negotiators website, maximum guerrilla leader

Timolen Jimnez hints, but does not quite say, that the FARC would get up from the
negotiating table if government forces kill another of its top leaders.

August 8, 2014

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, visiting Bogot, reiterates the
European Unions support for Colombias peace talks.
Statement from FARC Secretariat member Carlos Antonio Lozada explaining
reasons for the guerrilla groups founding

August 7, 2014

President Santos is sworn in for a second term in office. Our first pillar will be
peace, he says in his inaugural address.
In the noble effort of achieving peace, which will encourage the development of all
of Colombias citizens, you may always count on Spains firm and committed
support, says Spanish King Juan Carlos.
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa expresses his countrys support for Colombias
peace effort.

August 6, 2014

Colombias Constitutional Court rules that guerrillas accused of committing serious

violations of human rights will be ineligible to run for political office after they
demobilize.
We are supporting the peace negotiations, and despite some regrettable acts in recent
days [referring to FARC attacks], which have affected the civilian population, we still
think that the road to peace is a correct road and that it should continue, says OAS
Secretary-General Jos Miguel Insulza.

August 5, 2014

A joint government-FARC communiqu announces agreement on visits of groups of

conflict victims to the Havana negotiating table, and rules for a Historical
Commission on the Conflict and its Victims to investigate the causes of the conflict
and its persistence.
It is not true that were discussing with the FARC any reduction or increase,
diminution, changes in the military or the police. This issue is not mentioned,
President Santos tells a military audience.

August 1, 2014

At a meeting in Cartagena, President Santos thanks Venezuelan President Nicols

Maduro for his governments support of the FARC peace process. Were entering
what I would call the definitive phase, the final phase, and thats when well need the
most help.

July 31, 2014

We think that now is the time that there should be much clearer messages from the
FARC, much clearer gestures, which can make people think that theyre headed for
the end; instead of what they are doing today, High Commissioner for Peace Sergio
Jaramillo tells a forum in Quibd, Choc. He adds, This process does not intend to
resolve all of the countrys problems. This process cannot intend to resolve the serious
problems that a department like Choc confronts, but it can lay down some critical
foundations.

July 29, 2014

After a wave of guerrilla attacks, including a power pylon bombing that darkens the
port city of Buenaventura, President Santos threatens to cut off the talks. What we
are saying to them is, keep this up and you are playing with fire and this [peace]
process can end. He adds that an accord that does not require the FARC to turn in its
weapons would be perfectly ridiculous and absurd.
We will not be the ones that break the talks, FARC negotiator Marco Len Calarc
tells the UK daily The Guardian. But theyre playing with fire when they try to
eliminate our leaders with bombings. That could make us leave the table, because it
would be clear they had no political will to reach agreement. Its not as simple as we
hand in our arms and we can enter politicsbecause they will kill us.
A Barometer of the Americas poll finds that 53.7 percent of Colombians would not
accept a strong FARC showing in October 2015 departmental and municipal
elections, versus 35.1 percent who could accept it. Sixty percent of those polled in the
most conflictive zones of the country support the idea of negotiating with the
guerrillas, compared to 53 percent nationally.
President Santos thanks Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his governments
support of Colombias peace process.
In a statement, government negotiators insist that members of the military who
suffered violations of their rights at the hands of the FARC qualify as victims, and can
therefore participate in planned delegations of victims to meet with negotiators in

Havana.

Were still filling in March through July. Updates coming soon.

March 6, 2014

The 21st round of talks between FARC and government negotiators, covering the
drug policy agenda topic, is to end in Havana.

March 5, 2014

Gen. Jorge Enrique Mora, the former head of the armed forces who has been a
member of the governments negotiating team since formal talks started, denies

rumors that he plans to leave his post.

March 4 , 2014

The FARC requests safe conduct to send two or three representatives to Bogot, so
that they might argue before the countrys Constitutional Court against the
governments proposed referendum to ratify an eventual peace accord. The
government denies the request.

March 1, 2014

A poll commissioned by several major Colombian media outlets finds little change in
public opinion about the FARC peace talks. By a 21-point margin, Colombian
respondents say they are optimistic about the process. By very wide margins (though
slightly narrower than in January), they oppose any deal that would allow former
FARC leaders to escape imprisonment or to participate in politics.

February 28, 2014

A top FARC leader joins the guerrillas negotiating team in Havana: Fabin Ramrez,
commander of the 14th Front, part of the FARCs Southern Bloc. The Southern Bloc
had been under-represented among the guerrilla negotiators since 2012. This had led
some observers to question whether this powerful unit, believed to be deeply involved
in narcotrafficking, shares the leaderships commitment to the peace process.

February 24, 2014

FARC and government negotiators begin a 21st round of talks in Havana. Drug policy
is the current agenda topic.
FARC negotiators in Havana issue a statement about corruption scandals that have
shaken Colombias armed forces. Government negotiators reply with an angry
statement rejecting the FARC unacceptably pointing an accusing finger, which
doesnt contribute at all to the peace effort.

February 18, 2014

President Santos dismisses the chief of Colombias armed forces, Gen. Leonardo
Barrero, after the leak of recorded phone conversations in which the general, speaking
to an officer accused of human rights abuses, criticizes civilian judges and
prosecutors. In his parting remarks, Gen. Barrero referenced the peace talks, voicing
his hope that our institution will not be the subject of negotiation in any scenario.
After President Santos issues a statement voicing concern about street protests in
Venezuela and calling for dialogue, Venezuelan President Nicols Madurowhose
country is one of two accompanying the peace processresponds angrily.
Venezuleans will resolve Venezuelans problems. Enough already, damn it!

February 17, 2014

President Santos meets with the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and
Norway, who reiterate their governments support for the peace talks underway in
Havana.

February 13, 2014

Government and FARC negotiators complete the 20th round of talks in Havana,
currently focused on Solution to the Problem of Illicit Drugs, the third negotiating

agenda item. An upbeat joint communiqu indicates that a draft accord on this item is
taking shape.
Statement of chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle
Statement of FARC negotiators

February 11, 2014

Meeting in Cartagena with President Santos, the president of Peru, Ollanta Humala,
says that Colombias peace process will be a transcendental milestone in all of the
Latin American region, adding Peru puts itself at Colombias disposition for any
issue in which we can cooperate, collaborate in the achievement of peace.

February 7, 2014

A joint FARC and ELN statement views the Andromeda wiretapping scandal as
evidence that, from offices within the state, operations against the achievement of the
countrys peace and democratization are being prepared.
The peace process, President Santos tells a military audience, is on the right track
and well achieve that peace by any means, with carrot and stick. Santos also says
that he will await the Prosecutor-Generals determination about whether the Army
intelligence unit that allegedly spied on government negotiators was acting illegally.

February 4, 2014

The Colombian newsmagazine Semana reveals that an Army intelligence operation,

code-named Andromeda, has been intercepting the e-mail and text messages of
some of the Colombian governments peace negotiators. Two generals are suspended
as President Santos, citing dark forces opposed to peace, demands a rapid
investigation. FARC negotiator Ivn Mrquez blames ex-President lvaro Uribe for
the operation. A day later, President Santos backtracks somewhat, saying that the
existence of Andromeda itself was not illegal.

February 3, 2014

The 20th round of government-FARC talks, focused on the solution to the problem
of illicit drugs agenda topic, begins in Havana.
Great Britain admires President Santoss effort to negotiate peace, says Deputy
Prime Minister Nick Clegg while on a visit to Bogot.
In a letter to Vice President Angelino Garzn, the FARC turn down the Vice
Presidents suggestion that the guerrillas declare a unilateral cease-fire during the
election campaign. To the suggestion that both sides agree to respect minimum
humanitarian standards in the conflict, the guerrillas accept, but on the condition that
the government dismantle new paramilitary groups.

February 2, 2014

An Ipsos Napolen Franco poll shows 58 percent of Colombian respondents doubting

that the governments talks with the FARC will succeed, up from 55 percent in

November 2013. The percentage of respondents opposed to allowing FARC members

to avoid prison (65%) or to serve in Congress (67%) is largely unchanged.
FARC negotiator Pablo Catatumbo reveals that guerrilla negotiators had met in
Havana days earlier with the president of Uruguay, Jos Mujica, who was among the
regional presidents attending the January 2829 CELAC summit. Catatumbo does not
reveal what Mujica and the guerrilla negotiators discussed.

January 29, 2014

In their final declaration [PDF], the presidents of every member of the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC, which includes every Western
Hemisphere country except the United States and Canada) reiterate our support to
the dialogue process between the Colombian government and the FARC.

Meeting with President Santos in Havana, Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro

voices his support for the FARC peace talks.

January 23, 2014

The 19th round of government-FARC talks, focused on solutions to the problem of

illicit drugs, ends in Havana. The parties issue no joint statement.
In a statement, the FARC Secretariat claims responsibility for, and expresses its
repudiation and condemnation of, the January 16 attack on the town center of
Pradera, Valle del Cauca. El Tiempo, Colombias most-circulated daily newspaper,
says the declaration indicates a historical change in this guerrilla group.
After a week in which government forces killed 26 FARC members in Arauca, Meta,
and Tolima, chief FARC negotiator Ivn Mrquez accuses President Santos of
escalating the war in what he viewed as a misguided effort to achieve peace.
Mrquez says the guerrillas are not negotiating as the consequence of military
pressure or while on our way to surrender.
Uruguayan President Jos Mujica says he will meet separately with FARC negotiators
and with President Santos while both presidents are in Havana for the January 2829
summit meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
(CELAC). President Santos makes clear that he will not in fact meet with the FARC
during his Havana visit, and in the end he does not meet with Mujica.
Speaking at a conference sponsored by WOLA, the president of Colombias Senate,
Juan Fernando Cristo, calls on Washington to launch a Plan Colombia 2this time
for victims of the conflict. The same U.S. commitment cannot disappear if an accord

with the FARC is signed, it should stay intact, only not for war but for peace.

January 22, 2014

What worries me [about the peace talks]? asks President Santos, speaking at an
event in Spain. That they [the FARC] might commit an irrational act that makes it
impossible to continue, an assassination attempt against an important public figure,
something that really could make the process explode in a thousand pieces. President
Santos adds, The military offensive will continue until we reach some accords, as
though there were no conversations going on in Havana, and calls on his negotiators
in Havana to continue as though in Colombia there was no combat going on, as
though there were no military offensives.

January 21, 2014

The Colombian governments negotiating team posts a web document debunking five
Myths About the Peace Process.

January 18, 2014

On the 10th anniversary of his extradition to the United States, the FARC renews its
call for the return of guerrilla leader Simon Trinidad, whom it has named to its
negotiating team.

January 17, 2014

President Obama signs into law a budget bill including 2014 appropriations for
foreign assistance. It includes langage freezing 25 percent of military assistance until
the State Department can certify that Colomia satisfies several conditions, principally
having to do with human rights. This year, a new condition appears, with relevance
for post-conflict transitional justice in Colombia: that the government is investigating

and punishing those responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes, and is
not offering amnesty to such persons.

January 16, 2014

The morning after the FARCs one-month truce ends, a motorcycle bomb explodes in
the central square of Pradera, in Valle del Cauca department near Cali. One person
dies and over 50 are wounded, all of them non-combatants. This news surprises me,
FARC negotiator Rodrigo Granda tells reporters. President Santos calls the bombing
an act of infinite stupidity.

January 15, 2014

The FARC ends its one-month cease-fire. Non-governmental security analysts like
CERAC and the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation find that the guerrillas
offensive actions declined by about 95 percent during this 31-day period. Actions that
appeared to violate the FARC cease-fire occurrred in Antioqua, Choc, Caquet,
Putumayo, andas was the case in the FARCs 201213 cease-firein Cauca and
Valle del Cauca.
Sometime, I think there will be a suspension of talks until after the election, says an
unnamed U.S. State Department official cited in Colombian radio reports. I think
that would be natural. If that does not happen and they continue talking, the better, but

if it happens, I do not think anyone should lose hope [in the process].

January 14, 2014

FARC negotiators release a proposal for a national program to substitute crops used to
make illicit drugs. It includes some legalization and regulation of these crops
production, and the demilitarization of areas where substitution is to take place.

January 13, 2014

FARC and Colombian government negotiators begin a 19th round of talks in Havana.
They issue a brief communique announcing that, after exchanging proposals on the
drug policy agenda item, the negotiating teams would meet separately for several
days to analyze them.
There have been many concerns, and not as many satisfactions as one would want,
but there has not been a single day in which I was not motivated to achieve this task,
says chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle, in a statement.
Chief FARC negotiator Ivn Mrquez criticizes an earlier statement from President
Santos declaring, There will be no impunity for the bandits of the FARC who have
mistreated the citizenry for 50 years. Mrquez responds, We havent come to

Havana to negotiate impunity, and calls for a truth commission.

January 9, 2013

Venezuela releases from prison Guillermo Enrique Torres alias Julin Conrado, a
FARC member known as a singer and songwriter. Conrado travels to Havana, where
he joins the FARC negotiating team as one of the only representatives of the groups
Southern Bloc. Conrados release came at the Colombian governments request,
although Bogot had sought his extradition since his 2010 capture in Barinas,
Venezuela.