COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—For an outsider trying to unravel the complexities of Sri Lanka’s postwar challenges, the country presents countless tangled and unexpected threads. Among the surprises is that the most unlikely of countries, a nation half a world away—one that on the surface has very little in common with Sri Lanka—is playing an important role in guiding Sri Lanka forward.
Colombia, the South American nation that just a year ago signed a peace agreement with rebels to end its own lengthy war, is lending its knowledge and expertise to help Sri Lanka tread a path toward peace and stability.
The relationship is not a formal state-to-state one. But the international organizations advising Sri Lanka’s transitional justice efforts include many Colombians. With experience in their own country’s tortuous road to peace, Colombian nationals are working in Sri Lanka as officials of the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations.