Monday, September 26, 2016

Colombia to Sign Peace Deal with FARC, End Decades-Long War
Cuban President Raul Castro arrives in Cartagena to witness the signing of the peace deal. | Photo: EFE

Telesur

The agreement's signing is widely considered to be one of the most significant events in the history of Colombia.
Key Facts

- Over a dozen presidents have confirmed their attendance to witness the signing of the peace agreement between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) Monday in Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast.

- Representatives of the FARC-EP took off from a remote region of the country known as the Yari Plains on Saturday upon the conclusion of the 10th National Guerrilla Conference, where 200 delegates voted to unanimously approve the peace deal.

- The heads of state of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela have all confirmed their attendance.

- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, a supporter of the Colombian peace process, will also travel to Cartagena, alongside the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein and Gerard van Bohemen, the head of the Security Council.

- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry along with the heads of the Organization of American States, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank will also participate.

- In total, approximately 2,500 people are expected to witness the signing of the deal with another thousand journalists also expected to cover the event.

- The ceremony will be an all-day event with the actual signing occurring at 5 p.m. local time. The deal will be signed by President Juan Manuel Santos and the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Timochenko.

- The text of the pact will later be submitted to a popular vote in a plebiscite to be held on Oct. 2. Poll indicate the deal will be approved by a wide margin.

- Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict has left nearly 5 million people displaced, more than 218,000 dead, at least 79,000 disappeared and 30,000 kidnapped since 1958.

- The deal, which will bring an end to over five decades of armed conflict, is widely considered to be one of the most significant events in the history of Colombia, with repercussions for the rest of the region.

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