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."
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