Colombian leaders sign historic peace accord after 52 years of deadly conflict
AFTER half a century of bloodshed, Colombians have embarked on a new path to settle their political differences with the signing of a historic peace accord between the government and leftist rebels.
President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londono, top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), formally signed the agreement before a crowd of 2,500 foreign dignitaries and special guests, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US secretary of state John Kerry.
Many in the audience, all dressed in white, had tears in their eyes as Mr Santos removed from his lapel a pin shaped like a white dove which he has been wearing for years and handed it over to his former adversary, who fastened it to his own shirt.
It was one of many symbolic gestures during the 90-minute ceremony overlooking the colonial ramparts of Cartagena that filled Colombians with hope and optimism for the work ahead to implement a 297-page accord that took four years to negotiate.
The deal’s first test will be a weekend referendum in which voters are being asked to ratify or reject the deal.
If it passes, as expected, Colombia will move on to the thornier and still uncertain reconciliation.
If the accord is accepted by Colombian voters in Sunday’s referendum, the FARC’s estimated 7,000 fighters would have to turn over their weapons to a team of United Nations-sponsored observers within six months.
A much tougher challenge will be reconciliation, a process that will require rebels and state agents who want to avoid jail to confess to war crimes committed during a 52-year conflict marred by brutalities on both sides.
The European Union announced it has suspended its sanctions against the FARC, which has been on the bloc’s “terrorist list” since 2002. task of