Ceasefire between Colombian government, FARC rebels to end October 31

Supporters of a peace deal between Colombia and FARC rebels in Bogota.
(Image credit: Guillermo Legaria/AFP/Getty Images)

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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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.