The United States revoked its designation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) as a “foreign terrorist organization,” allowing US officials to work with members of the Colombian rebel group as they continue to shift into political life.
This move comes days after the rebel group and Colombia’s government celebrated the five-year anniversary of a peace deal. The US had officially designated the FARC as a “foreign terrorist” organization in 1997, the halfway point of the rebels’ six-decade conflict with the government.
Lifting the US designation allows US agencies to support programs involving former FARC fighters, including removing land mines and replacing illegal crops, and to work on implementing peace in parts of Colombia where demobilized FARC soldiers are located.
Read more here.
