Colombian conflict

The Colombian government and Marxist guerrillas went back to the drawing board on Oct. 4 after a peace deal they painstakingly negotiated over four years was rejected in a shock referendum result. 

In a vote that confounded opinion polls and was a disaster for Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Colombians narrowly rebuffed the pact on Oct. 2 as too lenient on the rebels. 

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.

Colombia's second-largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), freed an ex-governor on April 3 held captive since 2013, in a new boost to peace efforts.

"Pleased by the release of (Choco department) ex governor Patrocinio Sanchez Montes de Oca. Much support to him and family. #welcometofreedom," the Choco governor's office said on Twitter.

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.

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.

Argentina's legendary ex-footballer Diego Maradona will play in a "pro-peace match" in Bogota this month to support Colombia's ongoing peace process, officials said Sunday.
      
The game will take place on April 10 at Techo stadium in Bogota, and will include other football greats whose names were not immediately released, a statement from the mayor's office said.