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Colombia's Pearl - Afloat in a Sea of Rebels

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Fighting Sargassum

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   WASHINGTON, D.C. — Adjusting to civilian life can be a daunting task for war veterans. It can be even more so if the war you have been fighting for the past several years has been against your own government.

   In Colombia, the streamlined transition from enemy to friend is being viewed as a prototype for dealing with once-embittered rebels.

   Colombia’s high commissioner for peace and high counselor for social and economic reintegration Frank Pearl, based in Bogotá, described the process to Hispanic Link News Service and other invited guests, including that nation’s Ambassador to the United States Carolina Barco, on a recent visit here.

   In a “conversation” led by Center for American Progress senior fellow Louis Caldera, Pearl detailed the reintegration process that the Colombian government has implemented to demobilize former rebel combatants in the South American country through persuasion rather than combat. (http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2009//09FrankPearl.html) It is an essential step in establishing peace in the country, which has been plagued for years by armed conflicts, Pearl explained.

He broke down the process in four main steps:

•    First, the former revolutionaries have to pass through a reintegration program based on the Justice and Peace Law.

•    Second, to facilitate their adaptation to civilian life, the ex-combatants’ families, most of whom had been violently separated, receive orientation while being monitored.

•    Third, the Colombian government works on building useful skills in ex-combatants, giving them an opportunity to become employed, productive members in that country’s society.

•    Finally, long-term results are achieved when ex-combatants become good citizens.

   The concept is attracting worldwide interest. It has been in planning and implementation stages for more than five years now, with support from international peace foundations and some aid money from the United States.  To date, according to Pearl, 50,000 former fighters have become involved in the integration process. 

   Those willing to give up arms and participate receive both psychological and educational support, as do their families. For employment, they are asked to choose an activity they find to their liking and in which they already may have shown some experience or abilities.

   Job opportunities remain very limited in Colombia. Alliances with the private sector are still being built. This can be a difficult undertaking since some fear and distrust remain, but, as Pearl describes the challenge, “We need to transform the environment.” 

   Pearl, who previously worked as a presidential adviser for reintegration and is the co-founder of the board of ¡NO MAS!, has substantial experience in trying to implement alternative solutions to civil conflict in his country.

   The Colombian approach helps ensure that ex-combatants become contributing members of society. Pearl acknowledges that many challenges still exist for improving the results. Nonetheless, as civil conflict continues to erupt in more and more countries, it is an example of peace that is being viewed with hope both in Colombia and by the rest of the world.

   (Colombia native Camila Rodríguez Casto, a foreign relations and finance major at the Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogota, is studying international business and trade at American University in Washington, D.C., this fall while completing an internship with Hispanic Link News Service. Email: [email protected].)

   © 2009

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