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Colombian govt., FARC rebels agree to form truth commission

FARC commander Ivan Marquez (C) speaks during a press conference in Havana, on June 4, 2015. ©AFP

The Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels have agreed to establish a truth commission to investigate crimes committed throughout the country's half-century conflict.

Both sides agreed that the commission would be “extra-judicial" and its establishment relies only on a final peace deal.

According to a joint statement read out at the end of the latest peace talks in the Cuban capital, Havana, on Thursday, the commission "will not be judicial in nature nor be able to impose penalties on those who appear before it."

The information the commission uncovers cannot be used in court, the Colombian government and the FARC rebels agreed.

"The parties pledge to contribute decisively to clarifying the truth on everything that has taken place during the conflict, including grave human rights violations and infractions of international humanitarian law," the statement read.

The commission will have 11 members and will exist for a period of three years. It's members will be chosen by a seven-member committee named by both parties.

FARC commander Pablo Catatumbo (R) and Humberto de la Calle, head of the Colombian delegation for peace talks, shake hands in Havana, Cuba, on June 4, 2015. ©AFP

The issue of justice for crimes committed during the war has been a sticking point in the negotiations that began in Havana in November 2012.

FARC is Latin America’s oldest rebel group and has been fighting the government since 1964.

The peace talks have so far produced only partial accords on several issues but have yet to yield a final deal on ending decades of conflict between the rebels and the government.

The rebel organization is thought to have around 8,000 fighters operating across a large swathe of the eastern jungles of the Andean country.

The conflict has reportedly killed more than 200,000 people and displaced six million others.

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