UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The new UN envoy for Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, on Wednesday asked the government to define the status of the areas where former combatants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) live before their reintegration.
"A near-term challenge is to define the status of the 24 territorial areas, whose current authorization is due to expire on Aug. 15. This is a matter of concern and uncertainty for the thousands of former FARC-EP (combatants) inhabiting these spaces," he told the Security Council.
A solution will require the concerted effort that involve legal, financial and other implications. Therefore, time is of the essence to arrive at an agreed way forward, said Massieu, who is the secretary-general's special representative and head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia.
The Colombian government and FARC struck a peace deal in August 2016 after four years of negotiations in Havana, Cuba, ending a five-decade-long conflict in the country. The UN Verification Mission in Colombia, mandated by the Security Council, is tasked to verify the reintegration of FARC fighters.
