Two years after the peace agreement between the government and the FARC, fear to Colombia returns. The assassination this week shows that there is still no real peace. By Ofelia Harms Arruti, Bogotá.
Mothers, wives and children are crying. The images in front of the police school for “General Santander” in the Colombian capital of Bogotá are heart-wrenching. In a car bomb attack at least 21 young people, most between 17 and 23 years old, died there this Thursday. 68 more were injured.
Shortly after a promotion ceremony, an alleged supporter of the guerrilla organization was driven ELN on the school grounds and had brought his car loaded with explosives to the Explosion. The motive of the assassin, came killed in the attack, is unclear.
The Scene Of The Crime Police School For “General Santander”: At Least 21 Deaths
It was a long time quiet in the capital city of Colombia. For ten years, not a car bomb in Bogotá, more exploded. The current pictures make the memories of a war, the many should be terminated.
“Because the intention behind it to allow the war to flare up again. This is very worrying, no matter from whom it comes,” says Katherine Torres of the campaign “For a full peace,” which seeks to promote the peace talks with the ELN Guerrilla. Torres estimates that the further talks will now be very difficult. However, the present government had shown in front of the car bomb attack on Thursday “no will to peace”.
Almost impossible negotiations
For others, the attack confirmed that the ELN is the one that has no real willingness to negotiate. Colombia’s former President, Juan Manuel Santos had brought with the other, better-known guerrilla organization, the FARC, in November of 2016, a peace Treaty to a conclusion.
The talks with the ELN were set in last August, as a Nobel peace prize winner, Santos was President. Nevertheless, the guerrilla chief negotiators left the negotiating table in Havana. They were waiting for the new government would appoint under the new right-wing President Iván Duque, a new negotiating team. But that never happened.
President Duque: “The country with concrete deeds show”
Duque claimed that the classified ELN also from the United States and the European Union as a terrorist first, free all the hostages before negotiations. The day after the car bombing, the President said the peace talks should be terminated. “If the ELN wants really peace, then you must show to the country with concrete deeds,” said Duque. And Colombia’s high Commissioner for peace, Miguel Ceballos, said that there were “no place for a dialogue with the ELN”.
Escalation spiral
Hubert Gehring, Director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Bogotá, therefore, the guerrillas on the course: “Hopefully, the ELN will come at some point, a bit of reason, a serious attempt at Negotiation.” Gehring says that, in Europe, “a false image of the Colombian peace” exists, which would have solved signing of the agreement between the Santos government and the Farc, “the problems of Colombia”.
President Santos and FARC leader Jimenez at the peace Treaty signing (2016)
The international community should support Colombia in the most urgent matters, calls for Gehring. This includes the development of the regions, the implementation of the peace agreement and aid for over a Million people have fled to the neighboring country of Venezuela to Colombia.
“Germany, which had to deal with the arrival of a Million refugees, the challenge faced by Colombia – not only because of the arrival of the Venezuelans, but also by the nearly six-million internal refugees.”
The German Ambassador in Colombia, Peter Ptassek, feared that the assassination could lead on Thursday to an “escalation spiral”, which “would complicate the Situation in the country considerably”.