The new agreement to end Latin America's longest insurgency was put together in just over a month after the original pact - which allowed the rebels to hold public office and skip jail - was narrowly and unexpectedly defeated in an Oct. 2 referendum. Both the senate and the lower house backed the accord in votes this week, giving necessary legislative approval to the deal to end 52 years of war in which more than 220,000 people have been killed and millions displaced. The new 310-page accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia introduced 50 changes to the initial deal in an attempt to assuage opponents as the government seeks to end a 52-year conflict that has killed more than 220,000 people and driven almost 8 million from their homes. Santos said ratification will set in motion the start of a six-month process in which the FARC's 8,000-plus guerrillas will concentrate in some 20 rural areas and turn over their weapons to United Nations monitors. But rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said they would not begin demobilizing until parts of the accord, including an amnesty law for most fighters, are approved by lawmakers.
The Congress of Colombia unanimously approves a peace deal between the Government and rebel group FARC to end the Colombian conflict.