Conflict and peace in the making : Colombia from 1948–2010

This chapter discusses the evolution of the Colombian conflict and the existence of peacebuilding initiatives with different groups as part of the process of consolidation of statehood in Colombia since 1948. It presents a brief summary of the Colombian conflict, and of previous peace processes that took place in the country after 1948. The emergence of violence in modern Colombia saw its inception in the period known as 'La Violencia' (the violence), a wave of inter-party violence between 1948 and 1958 in which almost 2" of the population of the country was assassinated. This process led to the rise of multiple liberal guerrilla groups and armed right-wing groups. The birth and the origins of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejercito del Pueblo are a matter of academic debate; the fourteen different accounts of the origin of the conflict in Colombia presented by the historical commission of the conflict of Colombia.