{"id":84723,"date":"2026-04-21T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/as-colombia-elections-near-security-council-hears-calls-for-calm\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T12:00:00","slug":"as-colombia-elections-near-security-council-hears-calls-for-calm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=84723","title":{"rendered":"As Colombia elections near, Security Council hears calls for calm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Following decades of conflict, the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP rebel group signed an historic Final Agreement on 24 November 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The following year, the Council authorised the creation of a UN Verification Mission in Colombia to oversee the accord\u2019s implementation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, the Council narrowed the scope of the Mission\u2019s mandate in October 2025, even as that year saw the attempted assassination – and later passing \u2013 of one of Colombia\u2019s presidential candidates. Nevertheless, the country held largely peaceful congressional elections on 8 March 2026.<\/p>\n
Stay the course<\/h2>\n
\u201cIt is essential for the country to stay on this trajectory<\/strong>,\u201d emphasised Miroslav Jen\u010da, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in the country.<\/p>\n
Now, ahead of presidential elections on 31 May, he called on all concerned to ensure a safe, peaceful environment free of violence and stigmatization.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And condemning reported threats against presidential candidates, he called on State authorities to guarantee the safety of all participants in the electoral process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For its part, the Mission will contribute \u2013 as it did during congressional elections \u2013 in analysing security risks and coordinating preventive actions.<\/p>\n
Further, the Mission has been \u201cfully restructured\u201d to reflect the \u201crefocused\u201d mandate established by resolution 2798 (2025), which he noted includes reintegration of former combatants, security guarantees and comprehensive rural reform.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the latter, he pointed to both progress achieved and continued effort needed, while also underlining the importance of this process: \u201cBy unlocking viable economic opportunities, it can also provide sustainable alternatives to illicit economies, thereby helping to break the cycle of violence<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hard-won gains eroded<\/h2>\n
He detailed a similar reality with regards to former combatants, where active reintegration is complicated by the \u201cfragile socioeconomic, infrastructural and security conditions in rural areas<\/strong> where many former combatants have settled\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also reported that clashes over territorial control and illicit economies in several rural areas \u2013 \u201cthe Catatumbo region is a case in point\u201d \u2013 are visiting violence and hardship on entire communities.<\/p>\n
The UN Verification Mission in Colombia’s key task is to verify the reintegration into society of former FARC-EP members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cAs long as violence, territorial disputes or governance vacuums persist in any part of the country, they risk undermining national stability and eroding the gains made elsewhere,\u201d he underscored. And stressing that the Final Agreement provides a comprehensive roadmap for addressing both the root causes and the consequences of the conflict, he observed:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe territories where the Agreement has not been sufficiently implemented are precisely where the most acute problems persist today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Transformational opportunity<\/h2>\n
Speaking for one of those hotspots \u2013 the Catatumbo region \u2013 Olga Lucia Quintero Sierra, General Coordinator of the Catatumbo Peasant Association, said that honouring the historic agreement is a \u201creal opportunity for transformation\u201d for those living in rural Colombia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Its sections are interconnected, and she stressed that \u201cadvancing in a partial or fragmented manner weakens its essence\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also underlining the need to listen to communities, she said that, despite a new escalation of violence in Catatumbo, \u201csigns of hope\u201d include social investment, the construction of a new university and land allocation to rural women.<\/p>\n
On the latter, she said that 54 women have benefitted from the allocation of 724 hectares of land. \u201cThis achievement isn\u2019t just about access to land; it is the possibility of rebuilding our lives,\u201d she emphasised.<\/p>\n
No abstract peace<\/h2>\n
\u201cPeace in our territories is not an abstract concept \u2013 it is the real presence of the State\u201d in those areas, she went on to say, which equates to \u201cthe possibility of living without fear\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Against that backdrop, she urged the Mission to continue verifying the deal and the new Government to assume the commitment to fully implement the accord as a national priority.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colombia, she concluded, demonstrates that, \u201ceven in scenarios marked by profound differences, dialogue constitutes the most effective path to building peace\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n