Colombia ex-rebels of disbanded FARC protest

Hundreds of ex-combatants of the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, (FARC) and social organizations have arrived in Bogota in protest to demand from the Colombian government guarantees for the right to life and compliance with the peace agreements signed by both the rebels and the government in 2016.

The protesters are demanding to speak with President Ivan Duque and for him to put an end to aggression against former rebels, community leaders and indigenous communities, which have all seen a rise in violent deaths. The 2016 agreement with the former FARC to end Latin America's longest running conflict remains a source of contention in the nation. Duque and his allies are critical of the agreement, which they say offers too many concessions to ex-guerrillas, who are largely able to avoid any jail time.

Critics contend his government has stymied the deal's progress, resulting in a renewal of violence in areas still ripe with drug trafficking. The mobilization originating from several points around Colombia is called "Pilgrimage for Life and Peace" and is now culminating with the arrival to Bogota's iconic main square, Plaza Bolivar. Many on Sunday carried the Colombia and white flags as they marched with their masks on.

The march began last Wednesday towards the capital and is motivated especially by the murders of more than 230 ex-combatants after the signing of the peace process, among them more than 20 in the central department of Meta. Citizen's tensions are also mounting in Colombia over a rising tide of violence in which 267 people have been killed in massacres around the country so far this year. The killings are said to be due to local feuds between criminal groups that fight over drug routes, illegal mines and even gasoline smuggling routes. Some of these lands belong to indigenous communities.