Ans.Introduction-                                                                                                                                      Related to: GS paper- 2

Recently The Colombian government and the long-time insurgent organisation, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have announced a new peace agreement. It came six weeks after the original deal was rejected in a popular vote. Now Colombia’s Congress has unanimously approved an amnesty law granting immunity to FARC fighters from prosecution for committing minor crimes, clearing a major hurdle in effecting the revised peace accord.

Who are the Farc ?

1-The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc, after the initials in Spanish) are Colombia's largest rebel group.

2-They were founded in 1964 as the armed wing of the Communist Party and follow a Marxist-Leninist ideology.

3-Their main founders were small farmers and land workers who had banded together to fight against the staggering levels of inequality in Colombia at the time.

4-The Farc have been hit hard by the Colombian security forces over the past years.

5- Many of the top leaders of the Farc were killed or died within the past decade.

6-In 2008, senior rebel leader Raul Reyes was killed in a bombing raid and Farc founder Manuel Marulanda died of natural causes.

7-In 2011, Alfonso Cano, who took over from Manuel Marulanda, was also killed in a bombing raid.

What is the peace deal?

• Those accused of minor crimes will be granted immunity and those accused of major crimes will be tried by a special tribunal.  
• The rebel FARC will have to declare all their assets and hand them over. The money will be used for reparation payments for the victims of the conflict
• Concerns by religious groups that the agreement undermined family values have been addressed
• A time limit of 10 years has been set for the transitional justice system in the country.
• FARC rebels will be expected to provide exhaustive information about any drug trafficking they may have been involved in.

Was Colombia peaceful before the Far?

• No, Colombia went through a 10-year civil war before the Farc were even founded.
• During the period known simply as La Violencia (The Violence), between 200,000 and 300,000 people are estimated to have been killed.
• La Violencia was triggered by the assassination in 1948 of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, a popular presidential candidate for the Liberal Party.
• His shooting in Bogota caused riots in the capital, which were followed by 10 years of conflict pitting the followers of the Liberal Party against those of the Conservative Party.
• The man who would later become the top leader of the Farc, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, had fought in La Violencia.

Analysis-

• Recent peace deal reflects a clear commitment towards peace shown by both the government and FARC, especially after the initial accord was signed. 
• Peace deal has brought cheers among general civilians as well as rebel group in a country which suffered huge due to civil war.
• It will reassure the rebels, who are moving to special demobilisation zones, marking a breakthrough in the five-decade long civil war that has taken more than 2,20,000 lives.
• If things go as per the government’s plan, the rebels should become civilians by May 2017, culminating in the end of a process that began with negotiations four years ago.

Conclusion-

Colombia has witnessed five decade long civil war between government and rebel groups and suffered huge loss. The peace deal which was under negation since last four years. The man who worked hard to get peace deal signed is Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (got Nobel Prize for same). If everything goes as per agreement then last due peace will be established in Colombia soon.