The document summarizes the ongoing conflict in Colombia between the government and peasant guerrilla groups like the FARC. It provides background on Colombia's independence from Spain in the early 19th century and later civil wars between Liberal and Conservative parties over inequality and land ownership. Disputes over coffee and agricultural lands between peasants and landowners have contributed to the conflict. The FARC was formed in 1964 as the military wing of the Communist party and funds operations through kidnapping, drugs, and mining, though it has recently released some prisoners. The conflict has led to displacement of farmers and mental and physical health impacts on communities.

1. Conflict in
Colombia
An on-going low-intensity
armed conflict in Colombia
between the Colombian
government and peasant
guerrillas.

2. Background to Conflict

3. Colombian
Independence
• The independence day is
one of the most important
dates in the Colombian
history.
• It is when people from New
Granada decided to set
free from the Spanish
domination.
• Simon Bolivar and other
patriots guided battles for
independence.
• July 20, 1810 was the date
of Independence.

4. The War of a
Thousand Days
• This Civil War was one the
one with the most lack of
military strategies,
armament and professional
preparation.
• The governmental army and
the rebel troops didn't have
any military strategies.
• They centred themselves
geographically in Santander
but also expanded to other
places.
• More than 80,000 people
died, of a total population
of 4 million.

5. Causes of conflict
• The violence does not revolve around a single
clearly defined issue.
• It is instead related to various dynamics and
different historical events in Colombia.
• There are frequent changes in territorial control.

6. Government
Conflict.
• Ruling power has been shared
between two political parties.
• The Conservatives (Partido
Conservador Colombiano, or
PCC)
• The Liberals (Partido Liberal
Colombiano, or PL)
• Throughout the twentieth
century, there was intense
rivalry between these parties.
• This was fuelled by social and
economic inequality, and
often led to violence.

7. Conflict over Land
• The origin of the armed
conflict in Colombia goes
back to 1920
• There were huge disputes
over the Sumapaz and
Tequendama regions.
• Peasants fought over
ownership of coffee lands.
• The liberals and
conservative parties to take
sides in the conflict,
worsening it.

8. Greed
• The Latin American country
has long been the leading
supplier of high quality
coffee beans.
• There is a lot of greed and
conflict due to the amount
of wealth coffee brings to
Colombia.
• There is conflict over land
ownership and from
agricultural farmers.

9. The FARC
- Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia
(Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia)
• A Colombian Marxist–
Leninist revolutionary guerrilla
organization involved in the
continuing Colombian armed
conflict since 1964.
• They are a peasant army.
• They have a political platform
(aims) of agrarianism and anti-
imperialism inspired
by Bolivarianism.
Map of FARC Conflict zones

10. FARC
• The operations of the
FARC are funded by
kidnap to ransom, gold
mining, and the
production and
distribution of illegal drugs.
• The strength of the FARC
forces is indeterminate.
• 20-30% of the recruits are
• In 2012 - released the last 10 minors, most of them are
soldiers and police officers forced to join the FARC.
they kept as prisoners
• In 1964, the FARC were
established as the military
• but it has kept silent about wing of the Colombian
the status of hundreds of Communist Party
civilians still reported as • FARC video
hostages

11. Effects
• Dozens of Colombian
peasant farmers have fled
to Ecuador to avoid getting
caught in the middle of the
armed conflict
• This is giving rise to
increasingly larger
shantytowns along the
Ecuadorian side of the San
Miguel River, which divides
the two countries.

12. Effects
• Armed clashes in rural areas
are putting local
communities in constant
danger.
• violations of international
humanitarian law.
• murder of and attacks on
people, forced
disappearances, sexual
violence, hostage-taking;
forced recruitment, physical
or psychological abuse; and
forced displacement.

13. Health Effects
• 25% of the population shows
symptoms of mental disorders
• Among displaced people (of
whom Colombia has the highest
number in the world) this rises to
75%.
• Significant incidences of
alcoholism, drug abuse and
suicides are also noted.
• Survivors in Colombia have
higher rates of cancer, coronary
heart disease, diabetes, gastritis
and ulcers, and headaches,
backaches etc. because of
severe stress.