Colombia's Endless War: Blaming FARC for Non-Compliance While Ignoring US Interference
📰 THE STORY: ABC News reports that Colombia's government is accusing former FARC rebels of failing to surrender their promised cash and gold, suggesting a breakdown in the 2016 peace agreement and continued illicit enrichment. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The FARC's origins are deeply rooted in the violent suppression of peasant movements by successive Colombian
governments, often with direct or indirect U.S. backing. From the 1960s, the U.S. provided significant military aid and training, including through initiatives like 'Plan Lazo,' which supported counterinsurgency efforts that killed, displaced, and often forced peasants into self-defense groups that eventually coalesced into FARC. U.S. involvement intensified with 'Plan Colombia' in 2000,
ostensibly to fight drugs but effectively fueling a prolonged civil war that displaced millions and saw atrocities committed by U.S.-backed paramilitaries. Double Standard: While the inability of former FARC rebels to fully disarm and surrender assets is highlighted, the systemic impunity of right-wing paramilitaries and government forces, who also committed widespread human rights abuses and have
vast illicit wealth, is often downplayed or ignored. The U.S., a staunch supporter of successive Colombian governments, rarely faces scrutiny for its role in prolonging the conflict or for its beneficiaries in the region. How many U.S.-supported counterinsurgency commanders have been held accountable for vanished assets or massacres? Follow the Money: The 'war on drugs' and 'counter-terrorism'