Colombia’s FARC rebels to hold final conference, peace vote Sept 13-19

(Reuters) – Colombia’s main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, said in a statement yesterday they will hold their final conference on September 13 – 19 to ratify a peace accord with the government.

Leidi, a member of the 51st Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), poses for a picture at a camp in Cordillera Oriental, Colombia, August 16, 2016 (Reuters/John Vizcaino)
Leidi, a member of the 51st Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), poses for a picture at a camp in Cordillera Oriental, Colombia, August 16, 2016 (Reuters/John Vizcaino)

The deal between the leaders of the leftist guerilla group, referred to as FARC, and the government was announced Wednesday in Havana, after almost four years of talks. The rebels have agreed to lay down arms after half a century of war.

Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has sent the text of the accord to Congress, where legislators have 30 days to go over it before a national referendum on October 2.