Land distribution, and crucially redistribution, were key factors in the decision by FARC rebels to take up arms in the mid 1960s. The ensuing conflict between leftist guerrillas, government forces and right wing paramilitaries is thought to have claimed the lives of more than one hundred thousand people. So the issuing of a joint communique by the FARC and the government on a way forward in agrarian reform is a key moment in the peace process which began six months ago.
