Colombia’s then-President Juan Manuel Santos (front left) and the top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas, Rodrigo Londoño, shake hands after signing an agreement ending over 50 years of conflict, in 2016.
Almost a decade after the peace agreement was signed, some 83% of Colombians in conflict-affected areas say they would not want an ex-combatant as a neighbor. About half of all business owners express reluctance to hire victims of the conflict, defined as anyone who suffered collective or individual damage from the armed conflict, and 78% would not employ former combatants.
The vote on the peace deal in the fall of 2016 also led to a decline in trust in government institutions: About 5% of the population says it trusts Congress, and only 32% has a favorable view of the Supreme Court. The vast majority – 90% – say the only institution they trust is their own family.
There’s little space for open, public debate, says the civil society worker Mr. Suárez.
“There is no middle ground,” he says.
“In a country that has always been at war, it is not easy to understand a relationship that is born out of a peace agreement,” says Ms. Suárez. “Our culture has always taught us that you cannot sit down and have a conversation with someone who thinks differently.”
Unity as a path ahead
But bridging divides often starts with personal connections, says Mr. Suárez from the Ideas for Peace Foundation. He ticks off the ingredients for reconciliation: honesty, kindness, cooperation, good faith, and the ability to find commonalities.
His foundation conducts surveys and focus groups to better understand expectations and relationships among citizens. It also organizes workshops to bring Colombians together around common needs like fixing local infrastructure, forming civil society associations, or organizing educational workshops and festivals.
These types of projects offer a space for Colombians to get to know one another on a personal level, and gain trust in the idea that it is possible to work together despite their differences. But small-scale projects aren’t enough to heal Colombia’s larger divisions, Mr. Suárez says. What Colombia urgently needs are targeted public conversations and well-funded public policies that can foster long-term reconciliation.
Mr. and Ms. Suárez have set a powerful example for fellow citizens, he says. “They show that it’s possible” to set political differences aside.
They have dedicated their lives to their love story in many ways, today working together to teach Colombians through a project called Respect Amid Differences that friendly disagreement is not only possible, but also important for family and community relationships.
“I think love can overcome anything,” Ms. Suárez says. “It’s also about learning to build some rules together, some life, and relationship norms.”
Mr. Suárez from the Ideas for Peace Foundation puts it this way: Change and understanding will come when Colombians spend more time with people who think differently from how they do.
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Publish date : 2025-01-06 05:44:00
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