Colombia Reaches New ‘Final’ Peace Agreement With FARC Rebels
- First peace deal was rejected by voters in Oct. 2 referendum
- FARC rebels fought for 50 years for Cuban-style revolution
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) rebels receive instructions for the day during FARC's 10th National Guerrilla conference in the Yari plains of El Diamante, Columbia, on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos signed a peace accord with Marxist guerrillas, setting in motion the disarmament of the largest irregular army in the Americas and officially ending more than half a century of conflict. FARC will hand over their weapons to the United Nations under the deal, in return for seats in Congress, agricultural reform and reduced punishment for crimes.
Photographer: Nicolo Filippo Rosso/BloombergColombia’s government has reached a new agreement with Marxist guerrillas to end the nation’s civil conflict, six weeks after voters unexpectedly rejected a previous deal.
Under the terms of the modified accord, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, will compensate victims of the conflict using their own assets, and won’t be able to take any of the special “transitory” seats in Congress while the deal is being implemented, President Juan Manuel Santos said Saturday in a national address. The FARC will still be allowed to form a legal political party and run for Congress, he said. Santos didn’t say whether the deal will be put to a second plebiscite.