Historic peace deal in Colombia ends 52-year war

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono Echeverri shake hands.
(Image credit: Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images)

On Monday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono Echeverri, also known as Timochenko, formally signed a peace accord in Cartagena, ending the longest running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere.

The deal came together after four years of negotiations and 52 years of war, which resulted in the deaths of more than 250,000 people. There's one final step left: On Sunday, voters will participate in a national referendum to either support or reject the peace deal. The Colombia Reports news site says a recent poll shows 66 percent of voters support the 297-page accord, and if it is approved, the government expects it will take 10 years for rebels to be disarmed and reintegrate into society. The government also plans to compensate victims of violence and try war criminals in court.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.