From CNS, Staff and other sources
Exploratory peace talks were scheduled to begin on Oct. 5 in Oslo, Norway, between the Colombian government and members of the F.A.R.C. guerrillas, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The rebel group has been fighting the Colombian government since 1964. Gerardina Cardozo is the program coordinator of the Vicariate Foundation for Social Ministry, a partner of the United Kingdom’s Catholic Agency for Overseas Development in San Vicente del Caguán. She cautioned against being overly optimistic about the negotiations. “It’s a beginning and not much more,” she said. “It’s not a ceasefire. There have been no concessions from one side to another. And the big issue is that these talks are not taking place at home. We don’t even know the agenda or the methodology. As civil society, how are we going to participate?”