Colombia says former FARC rebels have not fully surrendered assets

Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office said Tuesday that former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebels are violating a 2016 peace deal with the Colombian government by not fully relinquishing assets promised to fund reparations for victims.

In a report, the Inspector General’s Office said FARC had handed over only a small amount of the assets under its control, undermining efforts to help victims of Colombia’s decades-old conflict.

The report said FARC had promised to surrender 444 kilograms (979 pounds) of gold under the 2016 agreement, but had turned in 252 kilograms (556 pounds) to authorities. It also said the rebels promised to hand over 722 rural properties but had transferred only one, and that they had delivered only 17% of the cash.

The 2016 peace deal, reached after fighting for at least five decades, spared FARC fighters from prison sentences and allowed them to form a political party, while reserving 10 seats in Colombia’s congress for former members. In exchange, FARC leaders agreed to hand over FARC assets to fund reparations projects, including infrastructure in rural areas, memorials to victims of the conflict, and truth and reconciliation activities.

The Inspector General’s report said the assets listed by the FARC were to be transferred to an agency known as the Society of Special Assets, which could sell the items and turn the money over to another agency responsible for helping victims.

Jose Lisandro Lascarro, a former FARC commander known as “Pastor Alape,” told The Associated Press that the FARC did its best to hand over its assets in a process supervised by the United Nations. He said some assets were not surrendered to Colombia’s government due to security problems.

“We handed over all of the assets that we could turn in, before other groups occupied our territory,” Lascarro said.

Lascarro also described how continued violence in former FARC territory has affected the group’s ability to transfer additional cash. He said it stopped former FARC members from handing over more cash because it was buried in chests in remote areas now controlled by other rebel groups.

On the rural properties, Lascarro said the FARC did not have formal titles for its land and houses, and that the lack of titles made it impossible for the group to turn the properties over to the government.

The Inspector General’s Office also said the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, known as JEP, currently lacks funds to implement rulings under the peace deal, including truth and reparation activities for victims. It warned that the budget currently reserved for reparations is only 17% of what is required.

The Inspector General’s Office said the tribunal last year issued calls for reparations for victims of kidnappings committed by FARC and for victims of extrajudicial executions carried out by the Colombian military.