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Weary of war, tens of thousands of Colombians march to call for an end to the conflict, as peace talks between the FARC and Colombian government continue in Cuba.
For Ximena Yonda, who belongs to Colombia’s Paez Indian tribe, the 15-hour bus journey from her home in the mountains of southwestern Cauca province to the capital Bogota was worth it to join tens of thousands of people in a nationwide march for peace Tuesday.
“We believe in peace. We want and need peace. We live in a difficult region where the conflict is intense and where fighting goes on between the guerrillas and government armed forces,” said Yonda.
Hundreds of women - with babies strapped around their backs, from tribes in the Amazon rainforest to Afro-Colombian communities along the Pacific coast - also made the long journey to Bogota.
By midday, more than 30,000 people waving white balloons and dressed in white had gathered at Bogota’s central Bolivar square. It was packed with trade union, women and student groups chanting: "We want peace with social justice." Mothers held posters with photos of their missing sons.
They all clamoured for peace as ongoing peace talks between rebels from the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government continue in Havana, Cuba.
The two sides are trying to reach a negotiated agreement to end a conflict that dates back to 1964, when the FARC was formed as a Marxist agrarian movement to defend the rights of landless and poor peasants.
Since then FARC guerrillas have been trying to topple successive governments and have turned to extortion, kidnapping and the cocaine trade to fuel their war coffers.
The conflict has left tens of thousands dead, thousands of landmine victims, and forced around four million Colombians to leave their homes.
PEACE CRITICS
The march, backed by Colombia’s leftist Marcha Patriotica political movement, stirred controversy among critics of the peace process, including former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe. He and other staunch right-wing critics of the peace process believe the FARC have no intention of giving up their armed struggle and say most rebels won’t be punished for crimes they have committed over the last five decades if a peace deal is indeed signed.
Controversy aside, for many, the march was an important chance to express their support for peace in general.
“It's not that we support either side - President (Juan Manuel) Santos or the guerrillas. It's that we live with the fighting. I’m marching because for the last 50 years, Colombia has known no harmony, no peace on its territory. Generations have only known war. Other countries have achieved peace, so why can’t we?" said one indigenous leader from the conflict-ridden southern Putumayo province.
"Peace in Colombia is possible, but it requires honesty and compromise from both sides.”
"NO MORE RIVERS OF BLOOD"
Colombia’s President Santos has recently sought to drum up momentum and optimism among Colombians about the peace talks in Havana.
"All the conditions (for peace) are set. We need to unite all Colombians and put an end to the conflict," said Santos, who took part in the march.
Earlier this week, Santos expressed hope that peace could come in months if the current pace of talks in Havana is maintained.
“No more rivers of blood,” Santos told Colombians in a televised address on Monday.
“It's normal that Colombians would be skeptical after so many deceptions. But the truth is the process is going well,” he added.
While every Colombian I spoke to at the march welcomed the peace talks, not everyone shares the president's optimism that a peace deal can be signed.
Two previous attempts at a peace deal with FARC rebels have failed, making many Colombians wary and skeptical about the prospect of peace.
Most Colombians remember well the last time FARC and the government sat down at the negotiating table in 1999. The rebels had been granted a 16,000-square mile (4.1 million-hectare) safe haven - the size of Switzerland - to kick start peace talks.
However, the FARC ended up using the demilitarised area as a holding pen for scores of hostages, and to beef up their ranks, train more fighters and consolidate their drug trafficking routes.
For Maria Rojas, who marched to the din of beating drums, peace is possible, but only if the country’s victims are remembered and perpetrators of human rights violations are held accountable.
“We’re marching for peace but also for respect of our rights and those of the many victims. Peace is possible only if those who have killed and carried out rights violations take responsibility for what they’ve done,” she said.
This time around, it appears the Colombian government is optimistic that peace talks will get the 9,000-strong FARC rebels to abandon their armed struggle by laying down their arms for good, bringing an end to Latin America's longest running insurgency.
It’s what many Colombians march, hope and pray for.
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