Former FARC guerrillas graduate as doctors through Cuban medicine scholarships

A group of former FARC guerrillas have swapped their weapons for stethoscopes after graduating as doctors through scholarships provided by the Cuban government following the signing of the 2016 peace agreement. After six years of study in Cuba, the graduates returned to Colombia last week to begin working in some of the country’s most marginalised zones.

Cuba committed to the training as part of its support for the peace process and offered scholarships to around 1,000 former guerrillas and conflict victims. Some of the graduates practiced medicine while in the guerrilla movement and have now formalised those skills with licensed qualifications. They begin their new professions by fulfilling a mandatory one-year posting in rural areas impacted by historic conflict and state neglect.

It is another example of Cuba’s close involvement in Colombian peacebuilding. It hosted the 2012-16 peace dialogues and it is a guarantor country to the peace process with the FARC. Since then, Cuba has also hosted peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN), an action that in 2020 was punished by the US government as it used the presence of ELN negotiators on the island to place Cuba on its list of ‘state sponsors of terrorism’.

A number of Colombian medical students are still in Cuba to complete their training or to specialise in specific areas. The head of the Comunes political party, Rodrigo Londoño, said ‘these people are a real example of peace, reconciliation and democracy.’

The majority of the 13,600 guerrillas who entered the peace process are working in sustainable projects to provide them with civilian livelihoods, while others have trained in specialist areas such as medicine, journalism or engineering. In the case of the new doctors, not only will they themselves earn livings, but they will provide essential services to communities denied access to basic amenities such as clinics. This is vital to tackling the poor social conditions are a major cause of armed conflict.