Colombia's FARC approves peace accord

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on Friday announced that the rebel group had unanimously approved a peace deal with the government, a week before Colombians vote in a referendum to accept the accord.

"Peace is the most beautiful of victories," said FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, better known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, at the rebel group's congress on the southeastern Yari Plains.

"We yearn that no Colombians will ever again have to take up arms to make their voices heard and their demands felt, as has been required of us," he added.

Under the agreement, the FARC will transform into a political party, receiving 10 unelected seats in Colombia's parliament until 2026. Although the leftist rebels have yet to outline their policies, they are expected to base their platform on Marxist ideals.

"Our political proposals will have to come from the suggestions of our base," FARC secretariat member Pastor Alape told the Reuters news agency at the group's congress.

"We started our political efforts clandestinely and now we aspire, legally, to open our initiatives, together with all sectors of society, to concretely cultivate the political space we are given," Alape added.

While the FARC's upcoming political party, which will be formed under a new name, is likely to find a support base among poor farmers, the rebels will face difficulties expanding their constituency in cities, where Colombians are wary of the group.

Ending a bloody conflict

In 1964, the FARC launched an insurgency in response to the Colombian government's brutal repression of a peasant uprising.

Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and some 50,000 disappeared in the conflict, which drew in other leftist rebel groups, right-wing paramilitaries and later drug gangs.

It also forced nearly 7 million people to flee their homes to escape the fighting between the FARC, government forces and their allies.

The peace accord, which is set to bring an end to Latin America's longest-running conflict, covers justice, reparations for victims, land reform, disarmament and monitoring.

It also offers amnesty for "political crimes," although the worst offenders, those who committed torture, rape and massacres, will be put on trial, facing a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. However, penalties will be reduced for those who confess to their crimes.

ls/jlw (Reuters, AFP)