Colombia’s government and Marxist FARC rebels reached a final peace deal on August 24 to end a five-decade war.
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The Colombian government and the leftist FARC rebel group have reached a historic peace deal to end five decades of fighting that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Here’s what lies ahead and some of the remaining hurdles: — REFERENDUM ON PEACE Colombians will get a chance to vote on the accord on October 2.
The agreement announced on Wednesday brought to an end more than 50 years of bloodshed that left more than 220,000 people dead.
“In essence, that’s what Colombians must do, counterbalance those things that they probably don’t like from what we did yesterday (in agreeing the deal), against future prospects for ending a conflict and open opportunities for growth, a future, for an improvement in political life”, said the Colombian government’s chief negotiator, Humberto de la Calle. He said in a statement that the announcement was “a critical juncture in what will be a long process to fully implement a just and lasting peace agreement that can advance security and prosperity for the Colombian people”.
The accord means the country may finally know peace after having been at war since 1964.
“With negotiations and the accord concluded, it’s in your hands, that of all Colombians, to decide with your vote if you support this accord”, said Santos, speaking in Bogotá. Sixty days after peace is signed members of a United Nations delegation to Colombia will begin to store the weapons in containers.
More than a quarter of Colombia’s 47 million people have suffered in some way as a result of the war involving rebels, right-wing paramilitary groups and government troops.
Another toad to swallow, as Santos calls the concessions he’s had to make, will be the sight of former rebel leaders occupying seats in congress specially reserved for the FARC’s still unnamed political movement.
The team that spent almost four years negotiating with the FARC in Havana, stressed at their news conference that the government and people from all walks of life must work together to help integrate the fighters into mainstream society.
Once an agreement is announced, Mr Santos will need Congressional approval to hold a popular vote to endorse the terms of the deal.
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Colombians celebrated the historic agreement even while expressing doubts about whether the guerrillas will honour their commitments to lay down their weapons, confess human rights abuses and help eradicate illegal coca crops that helped fuel Colombia’s conflict after insurgencies elsewhere in Latin America were defeated. Amid the lack of state control, some landowners set up their own illegal paramilitary groups, which massacred civilians they accused of helping the rebels. According to the Associated Press, the Congress does not have the power to block the plebiscite.
