Backgrounder: Chronology of Colombia's peace process
Xinhua, August 25, 2016 Adjust font size:
A peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest rebel group, was finalized Wednesday, capping the four years of peace talks and ending 52 years of fighting.
The accord still has to be ratified by a referendum to be held in October.
The following is a chronology of the peace talks held in Havana, Cuba, since November 2012.
2012:
On Nov. 6, the government and rebel negotiators met face to face in Havana to lay the groundwork for peace talks, which officially began on the 19th.
On Nov. 19, the FARC marked the start of the historic talks by announcing a unilateral two-month ceasefire to begin on Nov. 20.
The next day, Colombia's then Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon announced government security forces would continue to strike rebel targets despite the ceasefire.
2013:
On Jan. 21, a round of negotiations began between the government and the FARC to reach a ceasefire.
On May 26, a partial agreement was reached on agricultural development, one of the six points of the agenda.
On Nov. 6, a second partial agreement was reached on the political participation of former guerrillas.
2014:
On May 16, a partial agreement was reached on a solution to the fight against drug trafficking.
On June 15, President Santos was re-elected for four years with 50.9 percent of the vote after an intense campaign in which he pledged to seal a peace agreement.
On July 15, negotiations began concerning the victims of the conflict, surrounding three important themes: reparations, truth and justice.
On Aug. 21, the Historical Commission on the Conflict and Its Victims was formed.
On Nov. 16, talks were suspended after the FARC's 34th Front kidnapped Colombian General Ruben Dario Alzate.
On Nov. 30, General Alzate was released, along with two other hostages.
2015:
On Feb. 12: the FARC announced it would cease recruiting children under 17 into its ranks.
On March 7, the Colombian government and the FARC reached an agreement on a demining campaign to be carried out by the Colombian army, with the help of Norway.
On March 10, President Santos announced bombings of FARC bases would stop for a month.
On April 15, FARC members attacked an army unit in the southwestern department of Cauca, killing 11 soldiers. The government resumed bombing the campaign, leaving 26 rebels dead.
On May 23, the FARC declared an end to its unilateral truce.
On June 5, the Truce Commission was created to establish responsibility for crimes against humanity during the conflict.
On July 20, the FARC declared a new unilateral truce.
On July 25, Santos re-ordered suspension of the bombing campaign against the FARC.
On Sept. 17, the FARC announced their willingness to become a mainstream political movement.
On Sept. 23, President Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono Echeverri, alias "Timoleon Jimenez" or "Timochenko", met in Havana. They signed a transitional justice agreement and stated that the peace agreement would be finalized by March 23, 2016.
On Oct. 17, negotiators agreed to work on a mechanism to alleviate the suffering of the families of the missing and agreed to exchange information about the victims of the conflict.
On Dec. 12, the government and the FARC announced that an agreement had been reached on the victims of the conflict. The guerrilla group agreed to apologize for its actions.
2016:
On Jan. 18, the Colombian government pardoned 30 FARC guerrilla fighters.
On Feb. 4, U.S. President Barack Obama said he would ask the U.S. Congress for more than 450 million U.S. dollars in aid for Colombia's peace process, through a new program named "Peace Colombia."
On March 1, Santos and Timochenko were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The winner will be announced on Oct. 7.
On March 22, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Colombian government and FARC negotiators in Cuba.
On June 22, the Colombian government and the FARC announced a deal on a definitive bilateral ceasefire, marking a major step towards ending the half-century conflict.
On June 23, Santos and Timochenko met in Cuba to sign a bilateral ceasefire.
On Aug. 24, a final peace agreement was reached. Santos addressed the nation to declare the war is over and that the Colombian people will vote in a plebiscite scheduled for Oct. 2 on whether to accept or reject the agreement. Endi