Colombian Government and Rebels Sign Peace Agreement After Half a Century

The President of Colombia and the commander of the country's rebels officially ended the civil war in Colombia by signing a peace agreement after half a century. Manuel Santos, the President, and 'Timochenko', the commander of the Marxist rebel group FARC, signed the peace agreement with a pen made from a bullet, marking the end of the longest battle in Latin America. This agreement allows FARC to officially cease armed struggle and enter Colombia's electoral campaign as a political group. The conflict between the central government and the rebels has been ongoing since 1964, over fifty years ago. Peace negotiations began four years ago in Cuba. The European Union has stated that it will remove FARC from its list of terrorist organizations in support of the peace agreement. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also mentioned that Washington is reviewing the group's status on the U.S. terrorist list. Additionally, the U.S. has promised to provide $390 million to Colombia next year to support the peace process. However, critics, including former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, have expressed dissatisfaction with the peace agreement and FARC's entry into the political arena, arguing that the group's leaders should be prosecuted and possibly imprisoned before participating in politics. Colombians are set to vote on the peace agreement in October, but Reuters reports that polls suggest the final approval of the agreement is likely to face little opposition. Over the course of more than half a century of civil war in Colombia, at least 220,000 people have been killed; The Guardian reported three years ago, citing a special commission formed by the Colombian government, that 80% of all victims were civilians who were not directly involved in the conflicts. FARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, began with uprisings among peasants and farmers. At one point, the group had 20,000 rebels and became a significant player in drug trafficking and cocaine sales. Now, with the peace agreement in place, 7,000 remaining rebels are expected to hand over their weapons to United Nations representatives within six months.