Bogota: The Colombian government suspended regional and informational programming of 20 'Peace Stations' created under the 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), media reports said Tuesday. The stations stopped broadcasting news, cultural, and educational programs and switched to centralized musical programming from Bogota on August 18.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Peace Stations were created under the accord to provide radio services in areas most affected by the armed conflict. The programming focused on local communities and included content related to peace, reconciliation, and implementation of the accord. The network reached full implementation in December 2024, making it the only component of the peace agreement to have been fully implemented.
Signed in November 2016 after four years of negotiations, the accord sought to end more than five decades of armed conflict and included measures on rural development, political participation, victims' rights, and the reintegration of former combatants. The suspension was ordered by the new management of Inravision, Colombia's public media system, which said it would review programming on the Peace Stations and other decentralized frequencies.
The decision has drawn criticism from Colombia's Ombudsman's Office, which urged the government to reconsider. The office stated that the stations provide public-interest information and support reconciliation and the reconstruction of the social fabric in communities affected by the conflict. It also urged the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies and Inravision to guarantee the continuity of the stations.
The suspension has also prompted criticism from other political and civil society figures, according to media reports. Former FARC commander Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko, criticized the measure and questioned the government's decision to suspend programming created under the peace agreement. The government's decision comes as the new administration under President Abelardo de la Espriella reviews the public media system and its programming.