In Colombia, there could soon be peace. But one problem remains: What should be done with all the fighters? Sabine Kurtenbach's contribution to Sueddeutsche Zeitung explains.
After 50 years of war – which displaced more than six million people and killed at least 220,000 – the fighting between the government and the continent’s oldest guerilla group should soon come to an end; in Havana, both parties are negotiating a comprehensive peace agreement. Everyone involved agrees that this is an important step in ensuring that there are no further victims. But for Colombian society to be structurally capable of peace – that is, able to address conflicts through civil mechanisms – larger and more historical changes are necessary.
