Written by By Peter Cohen, CNN
Colombia is no longer considered a terrorism-supporting state under an agreement between Colombia and the United States, President Donald Trump announced Friday.
The decision to drop Colombia from the list stems from a 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist-led group that waged a brutal war on the Colombian state for much of the past half-century.
Colombia was taken off the list last June, and the 2016 agreement with the FARC was seen as a key factor in the decision by the United States and Colombia to no longer consider Colombia a terror-supporting state.
Colombia’s former guerrilla army has been reduced to a 5,000-strong force with a general amnesty
Colombia originally fell off the list in 2002, and the status was renewed in 2003 and 2011 after acts of terrorism. The full revocation, however, was put on hold while the peace process was under way.
“We commend the Colombian government for its long struggle against terrorism,” said Trump in a statement released Friday. “Through their efforts, they have reached a historic peace agreement with the FARC and turned the page on a dark chapter in their history. The United States continues to strongly support the peace agreement’s successful implementation and Colombia’s efforts to build a safer and more prosperous country for all Colombians.”
The president added that “Colombia also continues to be one of the most important trading partners for the United States, adding, “I look forward to strengthening our bilateral relations to further promote bilateral trade and investment and to counter threats to security and stability.”