Peace agreements make headlines when they are signed. What happens afterwards tends to receive less attention: finding work, rebuilding family relationships, starting businesses and learning to live alongside people who once stood on the other side of a conflict.
Nearly a decade after Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement with the FARC, that quieter story deserves to be heard. Thousands of former guerrillas have persevered with civilian life, and some are helping create opportunities for the communities around them. Their progress offers a compelling reason to remain hopeful about Colombia’s future.
There is an important distinction to make. Colombia is still affected by armed conflict, so describing the whole country as “post-civil war” would be premature. The former FARC members implementing the agreement must also be distinguished from armed dissident groups. The encouraging story concerns those who chose peace and continue working to make it last.
The scale of that commitment is substantial. According to the UN Secretary-General’s March 2026 report, 11,031 former combatants remained active in the Comprehensive Reintegration Programme, including 3,011 women, out of more than 13,000 who originally entered the reintegration process. Participation does not mean every person has achieved financial security, but it demonstrates the durability of the transition. UN report, March 2026
Behind those figures are people building livelihoods in farming, manufacturing and services. In Antioquia, the UN reported in July 2026 that former combatants were leading 624 individual and collective economic projects benefiting 1,215 people. These included clothing production, beekeeping, livestock farming, tourism and coffee. That variety matters: successful adaptation involves finding a place in the everyday economy, with all the responsibilities and possibilities that brings. UN Verification Mission: Medellín Talks Peace Over Coffee
Coffee offers a particularly human glimpse of this change. The same UN account describes former combatant John William Taborda’s involvement in Ubuntu Coffee, alongside the wider emergence of cafés and agricultural initiatives connecting peace signatories, farmers and survivors of the conflict.
Growing and selling coffee requires patience, skill and relationships. It creates opportunities for people to encounter one another as producers, customers and neighbours. Those ordinary interactions can give reconciliation something practical to grow around.
Tourism provides another striking example. In Viotá, former combatants helped establish Asotourhepaz, a community tourism initiative that brings visitors onto routes associated with the region’s history. Local families, including victims of the conflict, participate through guiding, preparing meals and providing accommodation. The project also connects tourism with local coffee production. UN Verification Mission: Once Roads of War, Now Routes of Peace
The significance goes beyond a successful excursion or an overnight booking. Working together gives people a shared interest in their community’s future. Former combatants have an opportunity to contribute, while neighbouring families benefit from the same activity. Trust can develop through repeated, useful cooperation.
Political adaptation has been more difficult. Comunes, the party formed by former FARC members, failed to win congressional representation in the 2026 election. Yet the UN reported that it reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the peace agreement. Accepting electoral disappointment while maintaining that commitment is itself a meaningful part of the transition to democratic life. UN assessment of peace agreement implementation
A positive assessment must also recognise what remains unfinished. Former combatants still face threats, and many need more secure access to land, housing and sustainable incomes. In January 2026, the UN called for concrete action to strengthen those foundations. Their continued participation in reintegration is especially significant against that difficult backdrop. UN statement, January 2026
Nor does recognising progress erase the suffering caused by the FARC. Victims’ rights, accountability and reparations remain essential. Reconciliation has lasting value when it respects those who suffered and gives people credible reasons to believe that violence will not return.
So how well have former FARC members adapted? The evidence supports a cautiously positive answer. Thousands remain engaged in civilian reintegration. Some have created businesses that serve their neighbours. Others are working alongside survivors to build livelihoods around the landscapes where conflict once divided them.
These achievements are modest in appearance but profound in meaning. Peace becomes more durable when people have work worth protecting, relationships worth maintaining and a future they can imagine sharing.
Colombia’s transition remains unfinished. But the former fighters growing coffee, welcoming visitors and building community enterprises are already showing what a different future can look like.
Leave a Reply