After more than fifty years of war, over 260,000 victims and four years of negotiations, Colombia has found peace. An agreement has indeed been reached between the Colombian government and the guerrillas of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc).

Peace achieved

The negotiations for a definitive peace agreement between the two parties, held in Havana, Cuba, concluded successfully, bringing an end to a guerrilla conflict that seemed interminable. The delegates of the Colombian government and the Farc, with the supervision of Cuba's foreign minister and Cuban and Norwegian guarantors, declared that they had reached a "final, comprehensive and definitive agreement on all points of the Acuerdo general para la terminación del conflicto y la construcción de una paz estable y duradera". "The war of arms is over; now we will fight with ideas," declared commander Ivan Marquez, the Farc's representative, after the signing of the treaty.

What the agreement provides for

The peace treaty provides for the disarmament of the guerrillas — the point on which negotiations had previously stalled due to the Farc's distrust of the government — and, naturally, the cessation of hostilities by both sides. Another aspect that was debated at length was the demand for active political participation by Farc members. Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos declared that "former Farc members who enter politics will be spokespeople only, with no right to vote, involved exclusively in matters relating to the peace agreement." Under the treaty, the Farc will have non-voting representation in Congress until 2018 and will be able to take part in elections. The agreement will foster the development of democracy, paying particular attention to the rights of the most vulnerable social groups and those most affected by the conflict. The historic treaty also provides for the restitution of land, creating a "land bank" to redistribute and give equitable access to fields illegally confiscated during the conflict, and for the fight against drugs — the Farc have committed to ceasing their production, which was the basis of their funding.

Plebiscito por la paz

Following the agreement reached between the parties, the word now passes to the Colombian people, who on 2 October will be called to the polls: the treaty will be put to a national referendum, dubbed the plebiscito por la paz. "Colombians, the decision is in your hands," declared president Juan Manuel Santos. "Never before have the citizens of our country had the key to their future within reach." The result of the referendum will be binding and will be considered valid only if the minimum threshold of 13 per cent of voters in favour of yes is exceeded.