Colombia: Thousands March in Favor of Peace Accords As Duque Takes Office

On the day that newly elected president Ivan Duque is sworn in, activists across Colombia are demanding that he continue to implement the country’s 2016 peace accords to protect social rights activists and take up new talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN).

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Colombia: Duque Sworn-in Amid Large Protests for Peace

Under the hashtag #7PorLaVidaYPorLaPaz (#7ForLifeAndPeace) demonstrations are being carried out along the main avenues of over 80 Colombian cities during the August 7 swearing in of Ivan Duque, demanding that the now president respect the accords signed between the former head of state Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The new president has called for amending the two-year-old agreement promising to incarcerate former FARC leaders. His proposal will face considerable opposition from the Constitutional Court and Congress that favor implementing the existing accord.

The FARC has invited Duque to discuss the agreement, and ELN leaders said last week that they are willing to dialogue with Duque's administration after talks with outgoing President Santos’s team failed to reach a ceasefire or a long-term deal.

Tuesday’s national event was organized by several left-leaning political parties, including the FARC political party - Revolutionary Alternative Force for the Commons.

Duque’s closest presidential rival, Gustavo Petro called today’s national event a "party for life and peace" encouraging protesters to call attention to the murders of social leaders and land rights activists.

"We want to overcome fear and give a message of peace in the country, protesting in a peaceful way for the right to life of social leaders," Petro said in a communique prompting the population to take to the streets during Duque inauguration.

Between January 2016 and June 30 of this year, over 310 human and land rights activists have been assassinated, mainly by paramilitaries and even government security forces. Another 65 former FARC members have been murdered since that time.