Colombia

Colombians hit their government with a shock defeat on Oct. 2 when they voted by a razor-thin majority to reject a historic peace accord with communist FARC rebels.

CARTAGENA, Colombia - In a historic event, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos shook hands Rodrigo Londoño Echeverri 'Timochenko,' the leader of the the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and with this physical gesture, a peace agreement that ended 52 years of war between government forces and the rebels was finally reached.

A concert featuring Orquesta La 33 (popularly known as La 33), a Colombian salsa music band, will be held in August at EXPO 2016 in the southern resort of Antalya, Colombian Ambassador to Turkey Juan Alfredo Pinto has said.

According to Pinto, Columbia's La 33 is the best salsa orchestra in the southern hemisphere.

Tens of thousands of people protested in more than 20 cities across Colombia on April 2 against President Juan Manuel Santos and his government's peace process with the FARC guerrillas.

US President Barack Obama announced a $450 million plan to fund Colombia's peace process on Feb. 4, shaking up a controversial military aid program that defined relations for 15 years.

Hosting President Juan Manuel Santos at the White House, Obama said that as the country's 50-year conflict with leftist FARC guerrillas winds down it was time to rethink "Plan Colombia."  

The United Nations Security Council on Jan. 25 approved the creation of a U.N. mission of unarmed international observers to monitor disarmament should Colombia's government and leftist FARC rebels reach a deal to end Latin America's longest war.

The Colombian government and FARC rebels will sign a definitive peace deal within six months to end a half-century of conflict, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Sept.23, as the two sides announced a major breakthrough.

Colombia's Marxist FARC rebels, now negotiating a peace deal in Havana, said on August 2 they hope to meet with Pope Francis on his upcoming Cuba visit.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on July 25 ordered a halt to air strikes against the Marxist-inspired FARC rebels, giving a major boost to stop-start peace talks.

The Colombian government reached a major de-escalation agreement on July 12 with leftist FARC guerrillas, agreeing for the first time to reduce anti-rebel operations in the decades-long armed conflict, diplomats in Havana said.