Colombia announces historic peace deal with rebels to end war
Referendum puts an end to conflict that cost 260,000 lives
HAVANA // Colombia’s government and the Farc rebels reached a historic peace agreement to end a half-century civil war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
After nearly four years of negotiations in Cuba, the two sides announced a final deal on Wednesday, which president Juan Manuel Santos said would be put to a decisive referendum on October 2.
“We don’t want one more victim in Colombia,” the two sides said in a joint statement read out in Havana by Cuban diplomat Rodolfo Benitez.
Mr Santos said the deal marked “the end of suffering, pain and the tragedy of war”.
“This is a historic and unique opportunity to leave behind this conflict and dedicate our efforts to building a more secure, safe, equitable, educated country, for all of us, for our children and grandchildren,” he said.
Colombians welcomed the announcement with a mixture of scepticism and joy.
Many took to the streets on Wednesday night, waving the na- tional flag and carrying balloons emblazoned with the word “yes” to show their support for peace.
“It’s hard to believe that we have lived to see such things, it’s historic for the country,” said 24-year-old Marcela Cardenas, adding, however, that she believed the transformation would be extremely difficult.
Local television in the city of Barranquilla showed a rapper chanting “forward with peace, forward.”
The conflict began with the founding of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) in 1964, at a time when leftist guerrilla armies were fighting to sow revolution throughout Lat- in America. Over the years, it has killed 260,000 people, uprooted 6.8 million and left 45,000 missing.
Three previous peace processes with the Farc ended in failure.
But after a major offensive by the army from 2006 to 2009 – led by Mr Santos, defence minister at the time – a weakened Farc agreed to come to the negotiating table.
Farc chief negotiator Ivan Marquez called the accord a new chapter for Colombia.
“We can now say that fighting with weapons ends and with ideas begins,” he said.