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Should Colombia set up a truth commission following 50 years of war?
The quest for truth and an agreed narrative about what has occurred in wars and conflicts worldwide has led to the creation of more than 40 truth commissions in recent decades.
But more often than not truth commissions don't end up achieving such ambitious goals, experts say. In practice commissions can only offer a step towards reconciliation, a version of the truth, and a starting point from which to build peace and heal the wounds of war.
These are lessons Colombia is taking on board, as the country mulls setting up a truth commission after any peace deal is reached with rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The government and FARC have been engaged in peace talks in Cuba since late 2012 in a bid to end a 50-year war that has killed 200,000 people and displaced millions.
"The complexity of the (Colombian) conflict means that there are many truths, some very uncomfortable. But they must come to the surface," said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos at a conference attended by ex-United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and peace experts earlier this week in Bogota.
"Many examples from around the world speak of truth commissions that wanted to deal with everything but didn't manage to. That is why we have to be careful about determining the scope of the (Colombian) commission ..." Santos said.
He added Colombia needs to "clarify many truths", such as the whereabouts of more than 30,000 missing people, as well as the use of child soldiers and sexual violence by illegal armed groups.
Marcie Mersky, who participated in Guatemala's truth commission (1997-1999) that investigated atrocities committed during that country's 36-year civil war, said such commissions don't always lead to a definitive version of history that's accepted by everyone in society.
"In countries that are deeply polarised, it's very difficult to think that a truth commission can somehow miraculously bring consensus on the past," said Mersky, who is now programme director at the U.S.-based International Center for Transitional Justice.
"A truth commission has its own version of consensus, that of commissioners. But that doesn't mean that society will accept it," she said at the conference.
She cited the example of Guatemala where the truth commission said racism against indigenous people played a key role in the bloody civil war (1960-1996) - a conclusion that was "completely rejected" by the country's elite.
NOT JUST FOR VICTIMS
Another common misconception is that truth commissions should focus solely on the voice of victims and their testimonies, Mersky said.
"The contribution of truth commissions will be incomplete if they are only for the victims. They must engage all sectors of society," she said.
This view was echoed by Colombian peace commissioner Sergio Jaramillo who said any truth commission set up in the country should also include the voice of FARC fighters.
"Combatants also need to respond to victims and give their own version of what happened, and how it happened, in a dignified way," said Jaramillo.
Over the decades, the scope and remit of truth commissions have changed and expanded, bringing mixed results.
When Argentina created its truth commission in 1984, it was to deal with just one issue - to investigate those behind the disappearance of thousands of people during the military dictatorship of the 1970s and bring perpetrators to justice.
"Since those days, the mandate and reach of truth commissions have expanded quite dramatically, sometimes creating unrealistic expectations, and in some cases, disillusionment with the peace process itself," Annan told the conference.
For commissions to work, he said, they need to hold both the state and society at large accountable.
"Truth seeking should, of course, help determine the accountability of individuals. But truth seeking is not only about individual responsibility, it's also about society, about the state and its institutions," Annan said.
For Alan Doss, executive director of the Kofi Annan Foundation, truth commissions should deal with human emotions, such as anger, grief and anguish.
"Without dealing with these emotions, it is nearly impossible to reach sustainable peace, as they fuel desire for revenge and cycles of violence," Doss, a former head of U.N. operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, told the conference.
"A successful truth commission brings clarity," he added.
Truth commissions can also be pivotal cathartic experiences, helping war-ravaged communities overcome trauma and support the healing process, veteran U.N. peace mediator, Alvaro de Soto told the conference.
But he warned that if truth is not sought then "victims will demand it, and if this effort is postponed, their children will demand it".
In the case of Colombia, reaching a consensus on the causes of its conflict and what happened is a challenge, de Soto said.
"It is very difficult to reach a common narrative but Colombia is facing this task as it tries to end the cycle of violence that has gone on for decades."
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