Colombian government, FARC rebels announce peace deal

After four years of negotiations, the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group announced Wednesday in Cuba they have reached an agreement to end their 52-year armed conflict.

More than 220,000 Colombians died during the fighting, and almost seven million had to leave their homes. U.S. envoy to the peace talks Bernard Aronson called it "the final chapter of the Cold War in the hemisphere," while Colombia's lead negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, declared that "the war is over." While an agreement has been made, voters in Colombia still have to ratify the accord, and are expected to head to the polls in October. President Juan Manuel Santos is campaigning for the deal's approval, while his rival, former president Alvaro Uribe, wants it to fail, saying it goes too easy on FARC leaders.

If approved, the deal would become law, and FARC would start demobilizing 7,000 fighters and would have 180 days to fully disarm. The conflict between the government and FARC rebels is the longest-running in the Americas, but the government still has to worry about another group, the 1,500 member National Liberation Army, which is hoping to lure disillusioned FARC rebels to its ranks.

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