Columbia’s government and Leftist rebels have signed a historic peace deal to end 52 years of war that has killed more than 220,000 people.
An audience of 2,500, dressed all in white as a symbol of peace, watched the emotional ceremony in the city of Cartagena last night.
The agreement was sealed by President Juan Manuel Santos and by Timochenko — the nom de guerre of Rodrigo Londono, chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the country’s biggest rebel group.
They shook hands on Colombian soil for the first time and signed the accord with a pen made from a bullet casing.
As Mr Santos handed Timochenko a white dove pin the crowd, many of whom wept, chanted: “Long live Colombia, long live peace”.
“The horrible night of violence that has covered us with its shadow for more than half a century is over,” Mr Santos said through tears.
“We open our hearts to a new dawn, to a brilliant sun full of possibilities that has appeared in the Colombian sky.”
Attendees, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US secretary of state John Kerry, observed a minute’s silence in memory of those killed, maimed, raped, kidnapped and displaced.
The deal follows four years of talks and is expected to be approved by voters in a referendum on Sunday.
Farc’s estimated 7,000 fighters will hand their weapons to UN-sponsored observers within six months.
They will change from a guerrilla force into a political party nad be guaranteed at least 10 seats in congress over the next two legislative periods.
“No one should doubt we will conduct politics without arms,” said Timochenko, who asked for forgiveness from FARC victims.
“We are all prepared to disarm in our minds and our hearts.”
Opponents of the deal, who include former president Alvaro Uribe, have criticised it for sparing guerrilla leaders jail time if they confess to war crimes.
Farc was set up in 1964 and at its height had 20,000 fighters controlling up to a third of Colombia.
More than eight million people were driven from their homes during the conflict.
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