Recent polls show Colombians are sharply divided over the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and generally give Santos low marks as president.
Advertisement
If Colombia rejects the deal nobody really knows what is next as the plebiscite is unprecedented and the government has failed to present a Plan B. “Thanks to the strength and spirit of the Colombian people, today’s Colombia is moving toward a future of optimism and hope”. The conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and has uprooted millions from their homes.
The Colombian government’s chief peace negotiator says it will be “catastrophic” if Colombians fail to endorse the pact with the country’s largest rebel group in an October 2 referendum.
“The Colombian government and the FARC announce that we have reached a final, full and definitive accord … on ending the conflict and building a stable and enduring peace”, the two sides said in a joint statement read out in Havana by Cuban diplomat Rodolfo Benitez.
The two sides singed a bilateral ceasefire in June, paving the way for a final agreement.
After nearly four years of negotiations and 24 months of secret talks the national government and the FARC rebel group agreed to end the war.
Members of his family and Cabinet walked with him the short distance from his official residence to hand-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 October 2.
Key to securing a sustainable peace is additional investment in Colombia’s poorer, rural areas, though deep infrastructure problems across the mountainous nation may stymie progress. U.S. President Barack Obama also welcomed the deal.
White House said “a critical juncture in what will be a long process to fully implement a just and lasting peace agreement”.
The left-wing rebels have been fighting Colombian government since 1964.
President Juan Manuel Santos has staked his legacy on the peace process.
Before delivering the peace deal to the leader of the national legislature, Mauricio Lizcano, Santos described the agreement as a historic reality that will change the face of Colombia for the better..
Humberto de la Calle notes that when previous Colombian peace drives failed, it took at least a decade to renew them.
Following his address, Santos submitted to Congress the text of the formal agreement with the FARC for legislative approval as required by law.
Advertisement
The much-smaller National Liberation Army also remains active, although it’s pursuing a peace deal of its own.
