[rebelmouse-image 27090332 alt=”” original_size=”750×988″ expand=1]
El Espectador — June 24, 2016
Colombian daily El Espectador featured an AK-47 assault rifle with the headline “Do not recycle” on the paper’s front page on Friday. Rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, signed a historic ceasefire deal with the government in the Latin American nation.
After more than 50 years of conflict that killed about 220,000 people and displaced millions, the guerilla group finally agreed to lay down their arms. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC commander Rodrigo “Timochenko” Londono signed an agreement in Cuba on Thursday during a ceremony attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon among other dignitaries.
“Colombia got used to living in conflict. We don’t have even the slightest memories of what it means to live in peace,” Santos said in Havana. “Today a new chapter opens, one that brings back peace and gives our children the possibility of not reliving history.”
Peace negotiations have been ongoing since 2012. Santos said a final treaty could be signed next month.