Colombian FARC Rebels Demand Parliament Seats to End Lengthy Armed Conflict

FARC demanded that they be given seats in the parliament before the group ends its longstanding opposition and concludes the peace process.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) demanded on Sunday that they be given seats in the parliament before the group ends its longstanding opposition and concludes the peace process, local media said.

"We need to be actively involved in the open politics and have a direct mandate in the Congress for at least two terms," the El Heraldo newspaper cited a FARC statement as saying.

The guerrilla movement, which has been opposing the Colombian government since 1964, said it wanted constitutional protection for its members and a balanced investigation into crimes committed during the decades-long armed conflict.

The FARC rebel group was established 51 years ago as the military wing of the country's Communist Party. The military confrontation between FARC and the Colombian government has killed over 200,000 people.

The two sides have been in peace talks since November 2012. Their negotiations have continued throughout 2015, despite ongoing violence. On September 23, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Timochenko signed a deal in Havana that set the schedule for FARC’s full demobilization and disarmament.