Colombia’s leader declares cease-fire, delivers peace accord

Colombia.

Members of his family and Cabinet walked with him the short distance from his official residence to deliver the 297-page accord to lawmakers, a move required for Colombia to hold a national referendum on the peace deal that Santos announced for Oct. 2.

The FARC declared a unilateral cease-fire more than a year ago, but Santos refused to grant a formal truce until talks wrapped up. He had ended aerial bombardments of guerrilla camps,

The peace agreement was announced Wednesday after more than four years of talks in Cuba. The cease-fire will take effect a midnight Monday, Santos said.

Colombians celebrated the historic agreement even while expressing doubts about whether the guerrillas they’ve grown to loathe will honor their commitments to lay down their weapons, confess rights abuses and help eradicate illegal coca crops that helped fuel Colombia’s conflict after insurgencies elsewhere in Latin America were defeated. The five-decade conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and driven more than 5 million from their homes.

Last-minute government con- cessions included guarantees that the FARC’s still-unnamed political movement will have a minimum of 10 seats in congress for two legislative periods. After 2026, the former rebel must prove their political strength at the ballot box.

“We’ve won the most beautiful of all battles: the peace of Colombia,” chief FARC negotiator, known by the nom de guerre of Ivan Marquez, said at the announcement in Havana.

Congratulations poured in from regional governments and the United Nations, which will play a key role keeping the peace. President Barack Obama also welcomed the deal.