FARC Dissidents Tell Al Jazeera They Returned to War After Colombia's Peace Deal Faltered

A faction of Colombia's former rebel movement says it has returned to war, an outcome that undercuts one of Latin America's most ambitious peace agreements. In an exclusive interview, dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the guerrilla group known by its Spanish initials FARC, told Al Jazeera they returned to fighting after a historic peace deal failed to deliver security.

The 2016 accord that disarmed the main FARC organization was presented as a model for ending long civil conflicts. The reappearance of armed factions, who say the state did not protect demobilized fighters or bring development to neglected regions, illustrates how fragile such settlements remain when their economic and security promises go unmet.

The interview comes as Colombia approaches a presidential election, adding a security concern to an already tense political moment. For a country that is a significant producer of oil, coffee, and coal, renewed rural insecurity carries economic stakes alongside the human ones.