Definitive truce for Colombia -FARC

Colombia’s leftist rebel group the FARC has ordered its fighters to observe a ceasefire from midnight local time in a definitive truce. It follows four years of peace talks.

The announcement was made in Havana, Cuba by FARC leader Rodrigo Londono also known as Timochenko.

“Today, more than ever, we regret so many deaths and the pain caused by the war. Today, more than ever, we want to embrace our countrymen and begin to unite together for a new Colombia. The war is over,” he said.

FARC which is the acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, has been fighting a five-decade long insurgency against the Colombian state which has killed an estimated 260,000 people.

Last week the two sides reached a deal which effectively ended the conflict. Under its terms FARC gives up its armed struggle and joins the legal political process.

The ceasefire is purely procedural. The next step is a referendum on the agreement in early October.