FARC Me!

[rowan]

A little good news, perhaps:

Colombia's government and the country's biggest rebel group have signed a new, modified peace accord following the surprise rejection of an earlier deal by voters in a referendum.

The latest agreement, signed on Saturday in Cuba, aims to address some of the concerns of opponents of the original accord, who said the deal was too lenient on the FARC rebel group, which they allege committed kidnappings and war crimes.

President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) inked an initial peace deal on September 26 to international fanfare after more than four years of negotiations. But voters rejected it on October 2 by just 55,000 votes, dealing a stunning setback to Santos who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end Colombia's conflict.

"The agreement that was signed in September was, according to studies, one of the best in recent history," Santos said in a televised address. "But with all humility, I want to recognise that this new agreement is a better agreement."



http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/c ... 36609.html

[rowan]

More good news here, the government has entered peace talks with the National Liberation Army in neighbouring Ecuador. This is Colombia's second largest rebel group, and will hopefully follow on from the agreement already negotiated with FARC last year. FARC has been given the go-ahead to form a political party in exchange for surrendering their weapons. The National Liberation Army was founded by Catholic priests and inspired by the Cuban revolution. Though not as powerful as FARC, with only 2000 active soldiers, it is thought to have a wider support base among the population.