President Buhari of Nigeria must understand that Nigerian terrorists like Boko Haram fighters cannot get the type of deal that Colombia is giving FARC members.
Colombia approved amnesty for thousands of guerrilla insurgents. After signing a peace deal with FARC, a decades-old rebel group, the country’s congress passed a law that will free FARC fighters from prosecution for “minor crimes.” It’s estimated there are 7,000 members of FARC in Colombia.
The original peace deal, rejected at a referendum on 2 October, was seen by many as too lenient towards the rebels.
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The government and the Farc then went back to the negotiating table to try to strike a new deal acceptable to those who had voted “no”.
The main amendments included:
- The Farc will have to declare all their assets and hand them over. The money will be used for reparation payments for the victims of the conflict
- Concerns by religious groups that the agreement undermined family values have been addressed
- A time limit of 10 years has been set for the transitional justice system
- Farc rebels will be expected to provide exhaustive information about any drug trafficking they may have been involved in
- The peace agreement will not form part of Colombia’s constitution
For Boko Haram, they need to be prosecuted and cannot get a kid glove.