Colombia's government and the FARC rebel group will sign a peace deal, according to a joint statement announced Tuesday by Colombian Pre...
Colombia's government and the FARC rebel group will sign a peace deal, according to a joint statement announced Tuesday by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in a televised address.
The revised peace accord will be signed Thursday and sent to Congress for approval.
A peace deal negotiated earlier this year with FARC rebels was unexpectedly defeated by Colombian voters in October. Many voters were angered by what they saw as insufficient punishment for those who perpetrated a litany of crimes against their people.
Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez took a leading role in the campaign against that deal.
He argued it offered impunity to FARC fighters and accused his successor, Santos, of conceding to FARC demands.
The conflict has brought terror, misery and death to generations of Colombians.
The goal is to bring an end to a civil war that has lasted for more than five decades and claimed more than 220,000 lives.
More than 5 million people in a country of 47 million have been displaced.
Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year for "his resolute efforts" to end the country's civil war.
Source: CNN
