Colombia, FARC fight to rescue peace deal

The senior officials would hold talks with the opposition on changes that need to be made to the peace deal, which was rejected by voters in a referendum.

Regional countries were heavily involved in drafting a plan to end the 52-year conflict.

Before departing to Havana, Cuba, Monday morning, where he will meet with FARC commanders, Colombia’s Chief Peace Negotiator Humberto De la Calle expressed his unconditional support for President Juan Manuel Santos.

Nations from leftist-run Venezuela to center-right Peru lamented the outcome of Sunday’s referendum, the “No” camp won by less than half a percentage point. The “no” vote doesn’t necessarily mean that the country will be pushed back into war.

Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski warned the peace deal is “going to be very hard to renegotiate”.

FARC leader, Rodrigo Londono stated that the rebel group would maintain their aspirations of achieving peace despite the rejection of the accord.

In a Twitter post, the ELN said that “despite the adverse results to the Havana agreement, Colombians must continue fighting for peace”. “Wisdom in Colombia’s leadership will be key”.

Colombia is struggling to save a peace deal that stumbled at the last hurdle, when the country’s citizens voted to reject an agreement that would have put an end to decades of conflict.

“So I know that President Santos and his team are focused on figuring out what they can do at the negotiating table to move this forward”, Earnest said.

Latin America’s longest conflict has killed 220,000 people, displaced millions and brought atrocities on all sides. “Tomorrow we will get all our political parties together to continue dialogues and finding alternatives for peace”, Santos said in a televised address on Sunday.

2016: On June 23, the FARC and the government sign a definitive ceasefire and disarmament agreement, a precursor to a comprehensive peace deal.

Voter turnout was low, at just over 37 percent.

Colombia’s peace accord has been rejected by majority of voters.

Many “no” voters were genuinely offended that almost all FARC rebels will avoid prison time for crimes allegedly committed during the uprising and get various financial support from the government. But the FARC, which started out in 1964 as a group of Marxist fighters wanting more equality and control over their land, has over the years become so involved in drug trafficking, killings, extortion, and kidnappings that people want to see real punishments.