Colombia, Marxist Rebels May Be Ending Region's Longest Conflict

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the leader of the nation’s Marxist guerrillas shook hands as the two sides agreed to sign a peace deal within six months, and the rebels agreed to then lay down their weapons.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, will start to disarm within 60 days of the peace deal being signed, the parties said in a joint press conference in Havana, where peace talks are taking place.

Negotiators reached a breakthrough on a major sticking point which had deadlocked the talks for more than a year, reaching an agreement on punishment for crimes against humanity committed during a five-decade conflict. The government and the FARC have held talks since 2012, seeking a peace deal to end a conflict that has left more than 200,000 dead.

The agreement contemplates an “ample” amnesty for political crimes, but no impunity for crimes such as massacres, torture, rape, kidnapping and forced displacement, the joint statement said.

FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, alias Timochenko, has been fighting the Colombian state for decades, and had a $5 million reward put on his head by the U.S., who say he’s a terrorist and a cocaine trafficker. Santos spent years overseeing efforts to kill him, first as Defense Minister and then as President.

In July, Santos said that if peace negotiators reach an agreement on justice, the talks would be “home free”. A peace deal will boost economic growth by 0.3 percentage point per year, according to a study by Bank of America, while Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas estimates it could add a full percentage point to growth.

Negotiators had previously reached agreements on agrarian reform, political participation and fighting illegal drugs, and still need to agree details on the end of the conflict and the implementation of the deals. None of the agreements will take effect until a full peace deal is reached with an end to hostilities.