The history of Colombia since 2001

The talks for peace between the government of Andrés Pastrana and FARC (1998 - 2002) were not successful. This fact produced in the national public opinion the idea that a dialogue with the guerrillas was useless. The proposals of Álvaro Uribe to empower the State institutions and fight guerrillas and paramilitaries alike to weaken their power was generally popular, although many intellectual sectors, leftist organizations and human right institutions were not sympathetic with his proposals. Furthermore, when Álvaro Uribe was governor of the Antioquia State, he supported the CONVIVIR, a kind of security organization leaded by citizens and approved by the government of former president César Gaviria, but declared unconstitutional by the Parliament afterward and denounced by some human right organizations for some events of violation of civil rights. The support of governor Uribe has been the main reason that some sectors of the Colombian society argue that president Uribe has been involved with paramilitary groups, however, there is not a real evidence that such involvement is true. 

Mr Uribe was elected president for the period 2002-2006 and he was the first candidate elected from a party out of Liberals and Conservatives in the last 150 years in Colombia. One of his first actions as president was to introduce before the Parliament a reform of the Political Constitutions to allow a second consecutive mandate, something in which he was successful and in fact reelected for the period 2006-2010. 

During the elections of 2006 Carlos Gaviria, the candidate for the Polo Democrático Alternativo (PDA), a socialist party, got the second biggest voting after Uribe being the first time that a socialist party come so near to power. That phenomenon was repeated with the election of a PDA candidate as major of Bogotá.

President Uribe leaded the demobilization of most of the Paramilitary groups since 2003. This process caused also a political crisis called in Colombia as "Para-politic" with the implication of many congressmen, officials and allies of the president with the paramilitary groups.

About guerrillas, president Uribe accepted the negotiation of a "humanitarian interchange" with FARC consisting in release guerrilla prisoners for the hostages that FARC has since more than a decade in its power. At this point president Uribe accepted the mediation of Sen. Piedad Córdoba, one of his main opponents, with president Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. 

In 21rst of November of 2007 president Uribe cancelled the mediation of Sen. Córdoba and president Chávez due to some events that rose the suspicious of president Uribe. This fact caused a distance between the two presidents. However, president Chávez insisted in continue with the campaign to release the FARC hostages between them the former presidential candidate, Mrs Indrid Betancourts, congressmen, policemen, militaries and some foreigners. In 10th January 2008 FARC released Clara Rojas and Consuelo Perdomo in what was called the "Emmanuel Operation".

In 4th February and 6th March 2008 Colombians marched against violence being the biggest popular manifestations of the Colombian history of this kind. The first march was an initiative in the social net Facebook called "A million of voices against FARC" (Un millón de voces contra las FARC). The second march was leaded by the movement of victims of paramilitaries and what was called State Crimes.