Biden administration to remove FARC from terrorist list

The Biden administration will remove the former Colombia guerilla group FARC from the list of foreign terrorist organizations. The move would demonstrate U.S. support for “a fragile peace agreement with the guerillas in Colombia,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

The announcement could take place on Tuesday, “coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the historic peace agreement between then-President Juan Manuel Santos and the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).”

The agreement was negotiated with the support of the Obama administration. The negotiation and subsequent demobilization of the subversive group put an end to a 52-year conflict with the guerilla group and earned President Santos the Nobel Peace Prize.

The demobilization began after the signing of the agreement, resulting in 13,000 men and women laying down their arms. Colombian negotiators quietly pressured U.S. officials to withdraw the terrorist designation against the defunct FARC group, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. decision matters because of the explicit recognition of the transformation of the illegally-armed group into a political party, now known as the Comunes Party.

Lifting the terrorist designation could have medium and long-term consequences. The U.S. will indirectly be telling other armed groups on the list that they can also be removed if they abandon violence.

“For the Biden administration, this is a low-cost thing,” said Sergio Jaramillo, the architect behind the agreement with the FARC. “It sends the signal to the FARC: ‘You’ve spent five years, you’ve done your part, you’ve behaved correctly, and we’re taking you off the list.”