Ceasefire agreements and early reintegration: Implications of bilateral ceasefire agreement for reintegration in Colombia

Abstract

On June 23rd, the Government of Colombia (GOC) and the leftist guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a bilateral ceasefire agreement that includes provisions for where the FARC will gather (23 ‘transitional zones’ and 8 smaller ‘camps’) to progressively lay down their arms over a period of six months, once a final peace agreement is signed.i,ii After nearly four years of peace egotiations, this tremendous step forward met with widespread celebrations across Colombia, and boosted Santos’ approval ratings from 21% to 30% after the announcement,iii despite ongoing criticism from opponents of the peace process.