The Final Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace (Acuerdo Final para la Terminación del Conflicto y la Construcción de una Paz Estable y Duradera) was signed between the Government of Colombia, led by President Juan Manuel Santos, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People's Army (FARC-EP), represented by Rodrigo Londoño ("Timochenko"). Negotiations took place in Havana, Cuba, with Norway and Cuba as guarantor countries and Venezuela and Chile as accompanying states.
The text is organized around six substantive points:
- Comprehensive Rural Reform addressing land access and rural development.
- Political Participation opening democratic space for former combatants and opposition movements.
- End of the Conflict, including bilateral ceasefire, disarmament, and reincorporation of FARC members.
- Solution to the Illicit Drugs Problem, with voluntary crop substitution programs.
- Victims, creating the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition, including the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) and the Truth Commission.
- Implementation, Verification and Endorsement mechanisms, with a UN Verification Mission established by Security Council resolutions.
An initial version signed on 26 September 2016 in Cartagena was narrowly rejected in a 2 October 2016 plebiscite (50.2% "No"). A renegotiated text was signed on 24 November 2016 at the Teatro Colón in Bogotá and ratified by Congress shortly thereafter.
President Santos was awarded the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. The FARC subsequently demobilized roughly 13,000 combatants and militia members under UN monitoring and transformed into a political party (initially the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force, later renamed Comunes). Implementation has been uneven: dissident factions remain active, social leaders have been killed at high rates, and the ELN guerrilla group was not party to the accord. The agreement nonetheless remains a reference point for negotiated settlements globally.
Example
In November 2016, President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC commander Rodrigo Londoño signed the revised peace accord at Bogotá's Teatro Colón after voters rejected the original September version in a plebiscite.
Frequently asked questions
In the 2 October 2016 plebiscite, 50.2% voted No, with critics arguing the accord was too lenient on FARC commanders regarding prison sentences, political participation, and drug-trafficking offenses.
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