Colombia to end 52-year war by signing peace deal with Marxist rebels

The 52-year conflict with Marxist-Leninist rebels comes to an end as the group will be relaunched as a political party as part of the deal

26 September 2016, 9:03am

1 min read

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will sign a peace deal on Monday with rebel leader Timochenko

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist rebel leader Timochenko will sign a deal on Monday, ending a half-century war that killed a quarter of a million people and thwarted the economy

After four years of negotiations in Havana, Santos, 65, and Timochenko, a nom de guerre for the 57-year-old revolutionary, will shake hands for the first time on Colombian soil in front of world leaders.

The deal will turn the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group into a political party.

Some 2,500 foreign and local dignitaries are expected attend the ceremony in the colonial city of Cartagena, where huge billboards call on Colombians to accept the peace plan, according to Reuters news agency.

Guests will reportedly include UN head Ban Ki-moon, Cuban President Raul Castro, US Secretary of State John Kerry and victims of the conflict.