The Colombian government and Marxist rebels will declare a bilateral and permanent ceasefire Thursday, ending a half-century of civil war.
President Juan Manuel Santos’s government has been negotiating with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebel group, known by its Spanish acronym FARC, since November, 2012. The two sides have been meeting for talks in Cuba, which was deemed to be a trustworthy setting for negotiations; Norway has also mediated during the talks.
The joint Santos Administration and FARC announcement Wednesday comes after the Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende commented June 14, “We’re making progress in Colombia and I think we hopefully are close to a deal.”
Over the years, the fighting has claimed the lives of 220,000 people.
Peace talks were supposed to come to an end March 23, but were extended when an agreement could not be reached by the self-imposed deadline. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with both sides in Cuba during President Barack Obama’s visit in March.
Colombian Sen. Roy Barreras, chairman of the Senate Peace Commission, has said getting the rebels to totally disarm, “will take some six months,” according to ColombiaReports. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will attend a signing ceremony for the ceasefire in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, along with several Latin American leaders.
Santos has stated he wants a peace deal to be completely wrapped up by Colombian Independence Day, July 20. Once a deal is finalized, Colombian voters will either green light or shoot down the deal in a referendum. A peace deal would end the longest-running ongoing conflict in the Western Hemisphere.
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