One could be forgiven for thinking that peace finally arrived to Colombia this February. Despite voters’ initial rejection of a peace deal last October, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have finally begun to demobilize after fifty-one years of fighting the state.

Meanwhile, after countless delays over the last two years, formal peace talks have started between the government and the smaller Army of National Liberation (ELN). But a lasting peace is still a long way off. The ELN and state forces continue to engage in combat. Meanwhile, the resurgence of right-wing paramilitaries in areas once controlled by FARC threatens a new wave of death and displacement.

At the turn of the month, over six thousand FARC members began their final march as an army. On foot, in buses, or by boat, they made their way to over two dozen UN-monitored transitional zones around the country. Here they will gradually surrender their weapons over the next six months before beginning reintegration into civil society.