Ceasefire between Colombian government, FARC rebels to end October 31

A bilateral ceasefire between the Colombian government and FARC rebels that went into effect in late August will end on October 31, President Juan Manuel Santos announced Wednesday.

The ceasefire had been "definite," but was contingent on a peace deal between the two groups being approved by voters; it was narrowly rejected during a referendum Sunday. FARC leaders were caught off guard by the announcement, which The Guardian reports they viewed as an "ultimatum," but analysts say by establishing an end date, it will give both sides enough time to renegotiate another ceasefire. In the meantime, FARC commander Pastor Alape wrote on Twitter that "all of our units should begin to move to safe zones to avoid provocations."

Santos was leading the charge for the peace deal, which would have ended 52 years of war in the country, the longest-running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. On Wednesday, he met with former president Alvaro Uribe, his rival and the leader of the "no" campaign. Uribe believed the peace deal was too easy on former rebel leaders, who would have avoided jail time if they admitted to crimes and would be able to run for political office. Despite the strong "no" campaign, foreign minister Maria Angela Holguín was certain the yes vote would win, saying, "There was no Plan B. We believed the country wanted peace."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up