The former Farc guerrilla, transformed into a legal political organization, buried its initials of war and changed its name, becoming the "Partido Comunes" (Party of Commons, editor's note) Sunday January 24 at the end of its second assembly since the signing of peace in 2016.
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The former rebels abandoned the name of Common Revolutionary Alternative Force, initially chosen after the peace agreement, due to the bad image carried by the dissidents who kept or took up arms under the name of Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ).
“We are the Commons.
This is our new image.
From today we are the Party of Commons and the party of peace, reconciliation and love for life, ”
spokesman and ex-guerrilla commander Pastor Alape said on Twitter .
The name change was announced at the end of the assembly held in Medellín (west) and attended by only a few delegates, due to travel restrictions imposed due to the covid-19 pandemic, as well as divisions within the organization.
Contested by a current of the old Marxist guerrilla, the party leader, Rodrigo Londoño, admitted a few days ago that the acronym Farc evoked
“the war”
and
“the pain”
caused by more than half a century of armed confrontation.
The ex-Farc thus intend to change their image before the legislative and presidential elections scheduled for 2022.
Read also: Colombia: former Farc guerrillas march to Bogotá against violence
During their first electoral participation in 2019, the Farc, also known as the party of the rose, its emblem, suffered a stinging failure and internal divisions have since worsened, while dozens of ex-guerrillas have been assassinated .
According to the party, at least 250 former rebels have died in the wave of violence that has escalated since the peace agreement.
Authorities blame dissidents and other armed groups funded by drug trafficking and illegal mining.
The new name was chosen in the face of two other proposals, the Popular Unity of the Common and the Common Force, said Senator Sandra Ramirez, who occupies one of the ten parliamentary seats granted to the ex-Farc as part of the agreement which allowed the disarmament of some 13,000 ex-combatants and militiamen.
According to the armed forces, dissident groups number around 2,500 rebels without a unified command and have strengthened in recent years in isolated areas of Colombia.