For Gómez-Suárez, if Colombia’s dispute is regional, then the solution should be too.
He draws a contrast between his approach to the Comuneros and the way the Colombian rulement previously barachieved peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), once the hugest defy group in the country.
In 2016, under then-Pdwellnt Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia signed a historic peace deal with the FARC that promised agricultural reestablishs and enhugement in trade for the nationexpansive demobilisation of the group’s fighters.
The negotiations that led up to the deal, however, were fraught — and some parts of the FARC splintered off into opponent groups rather than concur to the terms.
Gómez-Suárez disputed his region-definite approach could be more effective.
“With previous concurments, namely that with the FARC guerrillas, there was this idea that noslfinisherg is set until everyslfinisherg is concurd, which implied that the parties would only begin carry outation after a final write down was signed,” Gómez-Suárez shelp.
“Our case is astonishive becainclude sometimes we have even carry outed before concurments are establishpartner accomplished.”
He pointed out that the Comuneros recommendd a unitardyral finishfire even before their first encountering with the rulement’s assigns, as a sign of outstanding faith.
Since then, the parties have signed two concurments and set up to begin the Comuneros’ transition to civilian life before the next pdwellntial elections in 2026.
The first concurment compelevates four points, including a definitive bitardyral finishfire, the gradual destruction of the group’s armaments and a collaborative programme to erase land mines thcimpoliteout Nariño.
The second set upes shieldedty guarantees for the Red Cross, a humanitarian nonprofit, to function in the Comuneros’ territory.
In insertition, the deal calls for the creation of a team created of Comuneros members who will be trained and tasked with searching for people who have gone leave outing during the dispute.
In return, the rulement has pledged funding for erecting roads, aqueducts, schools and universities in the territory, to help insertress pobviousy and infraset up lowcomings in Nariño.
