The contradictions around the table were enormous when the FARC guerrillas and the authorities in Colombia sat down to negotiate in 2012. The two warring parties had been locked in a devastating civil war for fifty years, most of whom knew their opponents by name and reputation. Now they were facing people who were responsible for the kidnappings and murders of their own friends and relatives, people they were now supposed to talk to and come to terms with. And on the sidelines of it all sat Norway. Lawyer and diplomat Dag Nylander was Norway’s representative and did not function as a mediator, but as an observer and facilitator. FROM FARC TO ARK: Dag Nylander, here together with the Cuban diplomat Rodolfo Benitez, was central to the peace negotiations between the FARC guerrillas and the Colombian authorities in Cuba from 2012 to 2016. His story is now available in book form. Photo: Omar Nieto The peace nation’s greatest success The story of the peace process in Colombia makes me think about why so many war films are made and so few peace films. Because war is exciting, riveting and dramatic, and thus brilliant film material, while peace is patient, laborious and difficult. This is perhaps also the reason why it is so difficult to get people to stop warring and, for lack of a better word, start “making peace”. With the good help of the experienced journalist Tove Gravdal, Nylander manages to tell this story about the greatest success for the peace nation Norway, and how we helped steer this complicated peace process to the finish line. STUDYING THE MAP: Dag Nylander got to know Colombia’s terrain well during his many helicopter trips to all parts of the country. The FARC had its guerilla bases deep in the jungle. BOOT CAMP: Good footwear was essential during operations in the jungles of Colombia. ALWAYS PREPARED: Armed guerilla soldiers stood ready when Nylander and his colleagues landed. GUERRILLA JUN GLIMT: Nylander and his colleagues avoided taking pictures during the retrievals of the FARC -delegates and hostages, but made an exception towards the end of the process. This photo of a guerrilla soldier was taken in the Putamayo region in 2015. OUT ON A TOUR: The operations to get FARC delegates and hostages out of the jungle were logistically complicated. One of the itineraries is outlined here. A Permanent War “Out of the Jungle” begins with the prehistory of the peace process, which was a near-permanent state of civil war throughout the last century. Facts about the FARC and the peace process Photo: Afp Between 1948 and 1958 there was war in Colombia. Over 300,000 people lost their lives. This was primarily a war between the country’s conservative and liberal elite, but also hit the local population hard. In the countryside, the farmers therefore organized themselves into their own military forces to protect themselves. The left-wing guerrilla movement Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) took up arms in 1964 with demands for land reform and social justice. In October 2012, the FARC and emissaries from the government met in Hurdal in Norway. A few weeks later, peace negotiations were initiated in Havana with Norway and Cuba as facilitators. In August 2016, the parties announced that they had agreed on a peace agreement. The agreement was first rejected in a referendum in October, but a renegotiated agreement came into place in November. In the agreement, the authorities undertake to carry out a land reform, change the strategy in the fight against drugs and strengthen efforts in poor parts of the country. Victims of the conflict must receive compensation. In line with the agreement, the FARC has given up its weapons and members who confess to crimes do not have to do community service. The FARC is also recognized as a political party and is guaranteed representatives in both the lower house and the senate until 2026. The party is now called Comunes. The 52-year-long civil war cost more than 220,000 people their lives and forced 6 million to flee. Source: NTB So why did the FARC slip up and open up to the idea of laying down its arms? After fifty years of armed warfare, a certain war weariness had set in, as well as a realization that the revolution had not come that much closer. It was also crucial that President Juan Manuel Santos of the Liberal Party took the initiative for reconciliation. Santos realized that improving the social conditions of the poor in the country had to be part of the solution. Otherwise, there would be a constant supply of new recruits to the various political and criminal gangs. Us and them The negotiations began in 2012, they were supposed to last for five years. The setbacks were many, and the friction considerable, both between the parties and internally between hawks and doves in each group. Dag Nylander followed this entire meticulous and frustrating process, almost from day to day. He gives lifelike depictions of the great and charismatic personalities, mostly men with considerable egos and strong will, who have no natural inclination to yield to the lifelong enemy. IN THE STARTING PHASE: FARC negotiator Iván Márquez with his right-hand man Jesús Santrich in Havana in December 2012. Santrich was almost blind and always wore dark sunglasses. Photo: Omar Nieto / The South American macho posture does not make this process any easier: “I quickly understood after the first hours with him that the Farc’s new negotiator was knowledgeable and very articulate. But he had a changeable personality, with watchful, dark eyes behind thick glasses. Márquez could be kindness itself, interested and polite. At times he was also theatrical and self-congratulatory, and he had a penchant for quoting historical figures, often long extracts from Simón Bolívar’s many writings.” “Out of the Jungle” is a fascinating study in group dynamics, where the group sitting in Cuba negotiating eventually begins to think of itself as a new we. The unity between those who fight on the same side must give way to the unity between those who sit together and negotiate peace. Dag Nylander and Tove Gravdal have done an excellent job of documenting the long, exhausting process of getting the parties to reach an agreement. Nylander has a good memory and ability to observe, and the wealth of detail and the many funny moments make it all come alive. FINALLY IN TARGET: The Cuban newspaper Granma wrote after the cease-fire agreement in June 2016 that “peace is no utopia”. From left, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Juan Manuel Santos, Cuban President Raúl Castro, FARC leader Timoshenko and Norway’s Foreign Minister Børge Brende. Photo: Dag Nylander The hunt for Max For my part, I will remember the FARC guerrillas sightseeing in Oslo after a long press conference in Hurdal, looking for the statue of Max Manus. They have seen the film, namely, and see Max Manus as a hero, a freedom fighter like themselves. But it didn’t go as planned: “Akershus fortress was closed, so it was impossible to greet Max Manus. The rain was pouring down, and it was not easy to form any impression of either the Palace or the Town Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. The tourist feature was short, then it was off to Gardermoen again, where the two chartered planes were waiting for Farc emissaries.” “Out of the Jungle” is an excellent introduction to how you can stop a civil war. In addition, the book offers deep insights into how homo sapiens function as political animals, as well as a fascinating look at this large, beautiful and troubled country of Colombia. news reviews Photo: Spartacus Title: “Out of the jungle” Author: Dag Nylander and Tove Gravdal Genre: Non-fiction/documentary Publisher: Spartacus Number of pages: 319 Date: March 2023 Hi! My name is Ola Hegdal, and I read and review books for news. Preferably crime and suspense literature, or non-fiction. Feel free to read my review of “The Anomaly” by Hervé Le Tellier, “You are a farmer” by Kristin Auestad Danielsen or “The Night Runner” by Karin Fossum.
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“Out of the jungle” by Dag Nylander and Tove Gravdal – Reviews and recommendations
