Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos arrived in Washington on Wednesday to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama for an official state visit. The main purpose of the trip is to recognize the 15th anniversary of Plan Colombia, a bi-national coordination strategy to fight drug cartels and strengthen state institutions in the South American nation, as the Americas Society / Council of the Americas (AS/COA) reports.
It is also expected that Santos will request further support for Colombia's ongoing peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has been projected to be finalized for March 23, according to the Guardian.
The White House, in an official statement, described the visit as "an opportunity to celebrate the successful partnership between the United States and Colombia, support the efforts of President Santos to achieve a just and lasting peace accord with the FARC, and discuss a shared vision for future collaboration in the event of an historic peace agreement."
Obama wants to boost U.S. aid to Colombia in order to assist with landmine removal as well as support the implementation of the potential peace deal, according to an earlier Reuters report. Under the deal, the FARC would disarm and the government would have to actively expand health and education amenities in those parts of the country that have been under rebel control. It is in these areas that further U.S. aid could be helpful, as Mark Feierstein, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, explained.
"One of the biggest challenges will be to demobilize the FARC," Feierstein said, "and [to] ensure their reintegration into society as constructive members." He did not comment on how much extra aid the U.S. would offer. Between 2000 and 2015 the U.S. sent close to $10 billion in aid through Plan Colombia, with around 71 percent of the funds going to military and policing operations, according to the AS/COA.
Since the implementation of the plan, murder rates in the country have decreased by 56 percent - from 28,837 in 2002 to 12,673 reported in 2015 - according to Latin Correspondent. Kidnappings have also dropped by 93 percent during the same period, from 2,882 to 210. Plan Colombia remains controversial, however, due to human rights violations that have unfolded under the heavily militarized strategy, as outlined in detail by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).
The plan's effectiveness at its goal to reduce illicit crop cultivation and drug trafficking has largely failed, as Colombia remains the world's largest producer of coca.
The conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC has caused the deaths of more than 220,000 people and has displaced millions since it began in 1964. Three previous attempts at a peace accord were unsuccessful.
