In the Aftermath of the Peace Agreement: A Case Study of Internal Displacement in Colombia

Abstract: Colombia has suffered from an internal armed conflict with different armed groups for more than five decades. This conflict has resulted in more than eight million victims of whom the majority have had to leave their home and become internally displaced persons (IDPs). Currently, Colombia is the country with the most IDPs in the world. On 24th of November 2016, a Peace Agreement was signed between the government and the largest guerrilla group, FARC, to disarm the guerrilla, and to attend the rights of the victims. Two years since the signing of the Agreement, one part of the Colombian society is still against it while others support the peace as it is in the agreement. The main aim of this thesis is to investigate the impact of the implementation in the Colombian displaced population as well as their insights in their inclusion in the processes of peacebuilding. Data has been gathered through interviews with the IDPs themselves as well as with key informants closely related to the topic. Theoretical concepts of peacebuilding and empowerment are used in the analysis of the results. Major impediments to the implementation and future of the Agreement according to many is the current government and their lack of political will. The progress of the implementation has been rather institutional instead of societal. This puts Colombia in a post-agreement phase where more progress is needed rapidly to prevent the frustration within the IDPs who find it hard to trust the government and its institutions, and the former members of FARC, who still have the risk to returning to rifles. Keywords: armed conflict, internally displaced people, peace agreement, peacebuilding theory, empowerment, Colombia