Colombian peace process

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The Colombian peace process refers to the negotiations between the Government of Colombia under President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP) aimed at ending the decades-long Colombian conflict. These talks culminated in the Final Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP. Formal negotiations began in September 2012 and were primarily held in Havana, Cuba.

On August 24, 2016, negotiators announced a final agreement to end the conflict and build a lasting peace. President Santos and FARC commander-in-chief Rodrigo Londoño, also known as Timoleón Jiménez or Timochenko, publicly signed the first peace accord. Londoño had assumed leadership of the FARC in 2011 following the death of Guillermo León Sáenz (Alfonso Cano).^[1] Both leaders, along with other participants, wore white in a symbolic gesture of peace during the signing ceremony. At the event, Londoño issued a public apology, stating: “We are being reborn to launch a new era of reconciliation and of building peace.”^[2] The ceremony was witnessed by nearly one million Colombians and covered by hundreds of news outlets.^[3]

However, the agreement was narrowly rejected in a national referendum held on October 2, 2016, with 50.2% voting against and 49.8% in favor.^[4][5]

Sergio Jaramillo Caro, former Vice Minister of Human Rights and International Affairs, led the government’s negotiating team. Reflecting on the process, he stated: “All the hard work of six years was hanging by a thread. We went back to what had worked for us—a robust methodology and a capacity to engage.”^[6]

A revised peace agreement was signed on November 24, 2016, and instead of holding another referendum, the government submitted it to the Congress of Colombia for ratification. Both houses of Congress ratified the new agreement on November 29 and 30, officially ending the conflict.