Speaking on the occasion, Petro said farmers from different parts of Colombia have benefitted from the redistribution of a total 562,000 hectares of land, a step favoring the implementation of the government-driven land reform.

However, he was quick to voice his disappointment at the figure quoted, as he recalled that in 2016 the government and the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) had initially agreed on a 3-million-hectare goal.

“We need a different government to comply with the Peace Agreement with the FARC-EP. It would be disgraceful for Colombia to return to a government like Duque’s, which only handed over 13,000 hectares,” Petro said, referring to the administration of his predecessor, Iván Duque (2018-2022).

He noted that the only way to vindicate the rights of the poor majority, the vulnerable, and the economically weak, is for these sectors to unite in an unwavering political front.

The president recalled the massive mobilization across the country the day before May Day, which, he explained, was attended by one million people in 200 municipalities. He affirmed, however, that this demonstration must be complemented by peasants protesting on roads.

“This time the people should not bend their knees, this time the people should not bow their heads, this time the people should not lower their gaze. The people’s time has come, and the people are in the cities and in the countryside, unarmed, joyful, but forceful,” he declared.

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