Colombia's government and Farc rebels reach agreement in step to end civil war

Colombia's government and Farc rebels reach agreement in step to end civil war

Representatives of the government and leftwing rebels strike a deal in Havana on reparations for victims and the establishment of special tribunals

Sibylla Brodzinsky in Havana and agencies
Tuesday 15 December 2015 14.01 EST

Representatives of Colombia’s government and leftwing Farc rebels have taken another major step towards reaching a deal to end the world’s longest-running civil war, with an agreement on reparations for victims and the establishment of special tribunals to try former combatants

The agreement, marked on Tuesday with a ceremony in Havana, helps put peace talks back on track toward reaching a 23 March deadline for a comprehensive plan to end the conflict which has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964.

“We’ve never been so close to a definitive agreement before,” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos wrote on Twitter.

The partial agreement was the result of 18 months of work in which victims of the rebels, government troops and right-wing paramilitary groups participated and offered proposals. Sixty of them gave testimony to peace negotiators in Havana, site of the peace talks for the past three years.

More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/15/colombia-government-farc-rebels-agreement-end-civil-war