Colombia's government and its largest rebel group announced a new, modified peace accord Saturday, after voters rejected an earlier deal in a referendum. The government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) - a Marxist guerrilla group - said in a joint statement they had incorporated proposals from various groups in the new deal.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Wednesday peace with the FARC rebels is “close,” but his top opponent demanded an overhaul of a “weak” deal rejected by voters in a referendum.
Colombia’s government and rebel guerrillas Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) agreed to jointly ask the United Nations Security Council to help monitor and verify a future rebel disarmament, should the two sides reach a final peace deal to end their 50-year-old war, crossing a major stepping stone on the road to ending Latin America’s longest-running conflict.
Colombian government and Marxist oriented guerrillas jointly announced an agreement to remove landmines and other explosives from the battlefield in a sign of progress in their two-year-old peace talks being held in Cuba.
Colombian FARC guerrillas on Saturday vowed to lay down their weapons and reinvent themselves as a political party, if the Colombian government follows through with the reforms under discussion in peace talks.
Colombia's government and Marxist FARC rebels reached a fundamental agreement on the guerrillas' future in politics, one of the thorniest issues addressed in peace talks in Cuba, according to a joint statement.
The Colombian government and left-wing FARC rebels ended a 15th round of peace negotiations on Sunday trading accusations over responsibility for the slow pace of the talks and for the first time failing to issue a joint statement on their progress.
The head of the Colombian negotiation team Humberto de la Calle cautioned on Monday that in case a definitive agreement is reached with the FARC rebel forces, (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces), peace could reach ten years after the ratification of the accord.
Colombia’s government announced that peace talks with the country’s largest guerrilla organization FARC were resuming despite the insurgents killed 13 soldiers Saturday in an ambush. The chief government negotiator said both sides would be back at the table on Monday morning in Havana where the negotiations are taking place.
Colombian government and Marxist-inspired-drugs-funded FARC rebels resumed peace negotiations in Havana on Sunday after a recess of more than two weeks, during which 19 soldiers and a number of rebels were killed and rural protests left four farmers dead and several police injured.