A 50-year war could be coming to an imminent end in Colombia, according to Inquisitr. The country's government and opposing group FARC are working on reaching a peace deal.
Both groups have agreed to reach an agreement within six months, which is promising news. One of their biggest issues, punishments for human rights violations, is coming much closer to resolution. Colombia's president Juan Manuel Santos said he is ready to begin "bidding farewell to the longest-running conflict in the Americas."
Santos has been working with FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez, "Timochenko," to reach a peace agreement. They recently signed a deal determining the punishment for crimes committed during the war. Reaching peace is "not going to be easy," Santos said, according to Yahoo! News. "There are still difficult points to agree upon, but that is the instruction we have given to our delegations: they must complete the accord as soon as possible."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the latest developments "historic progress." More than 220,000 people have died during the decades-old war. "Peace is now ever closer for the Colombian people and millions of conflict victims," Kerry said.
After the deal was signed in Havana, Timochenko and Santos shook hands in a ceremony that was attended by Raul Castro, Cuba's president.
The peace deal will be signed between the two by March 23, according to The Los Angeles Times. Arms will be laid down at this time.
