Colombia on a path toward peace

The Colombian government and rebels have officially declared the end of the five decade-long civil war.

According to the Associated Press on Tuesday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the Marxist rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) leader, Rodrigo Londono, signed Monday a peace agreement ending 52 years of fighting in Cartagena in northern Colombia. The two signed the peace deal with a pen made from a bullet used in the civil war. A sentence was engraved in the pen, which reads “Bullets wrote our past. Education will write our future.”

After signing the 297-page agreement, President Santos handed over a white dove pin that he wore for years to Londono, who smiled brightly by wearing the pin. “I offer a sincere apology to all the victims," Londono said. The signing ceremony was attended by some 2,500 guests including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, former Spanish King Juan Carlos, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

The peace agreement will take effect officially after the Colombian government will hold a referendum on the peace deal on Oct. 2. According to the opinion poll conducted by La Semana, Colombia’s largest weekly magazine, 72 percent of Colombians supported the peace deal.

FARC rebels will disarm within 180 days and become a political party. Londono is likely to continue leading the political party. The international community agreed to provide financial support to Colombia that agreed on peace. The U.S. said it would provide 390 million dollars for the implementation of the peace treaty.

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