Common Misconceptions
“The conflict is all about drugs…
Colombia is often thought about in relation to the drugs cartels of the early 1990s, and drug lord Pablo Escobar. However, while drugs and more importantly, the money from drugs have had a massive distorting effect on Colombian on the economic and political systems, the reality is that violent conflict in Colombia predates the arrival of cocaine.
“Colombia is Latin America’s oldest democracy…
If democracy is defined by just the use of regular elections, then Colombia is indeed the oldest in Latin America. However, if freedom of speech, freedom of organisation and the freedom to criticise power, are all to be included in a definition of democracy then the conclusion will be a different one.
“The guerrillas are the principal cause of violence…
In Colombian and international mainstream media the violence in Colombia is often blamed on the guerrillas. However, whilst abuses are inevitably committed by all sides in the armed conflict, the Colombian state and the paramilitaries, with whom the Colombian state has widespread and historical connections, are responsible for the vast majority of the violence committed against civilians. In an official report commissioned by the government it was estimated that the state and the paramilitaries were responsible for between 70-80% of the more than 200,000 murders connected to the armed conflict.
“Growing coca is a choice…
Many coca farmers previously cultivated legal crops but as transport routes have deteriorated, as people have migrated to cities as a result of violence or poverty, and as the market prices have dropped, these same farmers have seen themselves with no other option but to turn to coca.
“Political violence is a thing of the past…
Whilst the violence against civil society activists was at its peak in the late 90s and mid 2000s the human rights crisis and targeted political violence continues to exist at alarming levels. Between 2011 and 2016, at least 641 political activists were killed. Promoting an image of things having improved has been a common strategy used by the Colombian government and the British government both throughout Colombia’s darkest period and today in order to deflect from the horrific situation.
“Paramilitaries no longer exist…
It is well documented that the paramilitaries linked to the armed forces, political elites and both national and international business interests have been the principal actor responsible for the violence in Colombia. A demobilisation process in 2005 is often cited as the end of the paramilitaries. The Colombian government now refers to criminal gangs (or BACRIM for its Spanish initials)to speak about the groups that emerged in the aftermath of the demobilisation process. Colombian human rights organisations however view this change in language as a means of deflecting from the ongoing political nature of the paramilitary groups. A 2016 report by the Colombian based conflict observatory INDEPAZ reported paramilitary presence in more than a third of the Colombian territory.
“Peace was a government initiative…
Colombian and foreign media often portray the current peace talks as if they are the sole responsibility of President Juan Manuel Santos. Peace however has been a long-held demand of large sectors of civil society. Prior to the opening of the Havana Peace Talks in November 2012 those calling for a negotiated solution to the armed conflict would often be labelled “terrorist sympathisers”.