Colombia gov’t, rebels agree to reach peace deal within 6 months
The Colombian government and the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have reached an agreement on a peace deal that would end 50 years of war within the next six months.
On Wednesday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, also known as Timochenko, agreed to sign a definitive peace deal aimed at ending the conflict.
Santos said the two sides “have agreed that at the latest in six months – six months – these negotiations must conclude and the final peace accord must be signed.”
The FARC leader also said the group was prepared to reach a deal sooner than the March 23 deadline.
“We don’t want anything to stop this overflowing desire for peace and hope it will be forged in a hug of reconciliation,” Timochenko said.
‘Not an easy job’
During the ceremony, which was held in the Cuban capital, Havana, Timochenko agreed that the leftist guerrillas would lay down arms within two months of signing the deal.
Santos and the FARC leader also agreed to establish special tribunals for former rebels and offer an amnesty, which would, however, exclude those responsible for committing war crimes or crimes against humanity.
“It’s not going to be an easy job because there are still difficult points to agree upon, but that is the instruction we have given to our delegations: they must complete the accord as soon as possible,” Santos said.
Under the agreement, those who confess to crimes will receive five- to eight-year terms in undefined conditions of restricted freedom. However, those who do not cooperate and are found guilty face up to 20 years in prison.
The two sides have been engaged in on-and-off negotiations over the past three years. Issues negotiated include ending a drug trafficking problem that has fueled the conflict.
FARC, Latin America’s oldest rebel group, has been fighting the Colombian government since 1964. Decades of clashes between the two sides have left more than 220,000 people dead and over six million others displaced.
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