Colombia deal may not be viable within timeframe: FARC

The Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group has warned that a peace deal with the government may not be successful within its deadline if Bogota “backtracks” on the agreements already reached.

FARC commander Carlos Antonio Lozada on Saturday said that the six-month time frame agreed last month during a meeting in the Cuban capital, Havana, would “not be viable if the government begins to question the agreements already signed and backtracks on the current progress.”

This comes a day after FARC members and the Colombian government resumed talks following the signing of the deal last month. Under the agreement signed on September 23, the two sides have until March 23, 2016, to finalize a peace deal.

The agreement is aimed at establishing how justice will be done regarding crimes committed during the decades-long conflict between the government and the rebels in the country.

The remarks by Lozada were in response to comments by a government negotiator who described the deal as being a “document under construction.”

The FARC argues that discussion over the matter of justice is now “closed.”

Under the agreement, those who confess to crimes will receive five- to eight-year terms in undefined conditions of restricted freedom. However, those who do not cooperate and are found guilty will be punished with up to 20 years in prison.

Fighting between FARC and the Colombian government has been ongoing since 1964. Decades of clashes between the two sides have left more than 220,000 people dead and over six million others displaced.

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