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A HISTORIC MIDNIGHT ceasefire last night is set to end a 52-year-old war between the Colombian state and FARC rebels.
Hundreds of thousands of Colombians have died since 1964 as rebel armies and gangs battled in the jungles in what is considered Latin America’s last major civil armed conflict.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on Sunday issued the order for its fighters to observe the ceasefire from midnight (6am Irish time).
“I order all our commanders and units and each one of our combatants to definitively cease fire and hostilities against the Colombian state from midnight tonight,” top FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez said in a declaration before the media in Cuba, where peace talks were held.
On the government side, President Juan Manuel Santos on last Thursday ordered the Colombian national armed forces to halt military operations against the FARC.
“We noted with excitement the president’s order to the army. Consequently we are proceeding to give the same order to our troops,” Jimenez said Sunday, surrounded by FARC commanders in white shirts.
Santos wrote on Twitter:
“The end of the conflict has arrived!”
Juan Manuel Santos / TwitterEste 29 de agosto empieza una nueva historia para Colombia. Silenciamos los fusiles. ¡SE ACABÓ LA GUERRA CON LAS FARC!
— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) August 29, 2016
The FARC declared a unilateral ceasefire in July 2015. But Sunday night’s ceasefire is the first in which both sides have committed to a definitive end to the fighting.
“The ceasefire is really one more seal on the end of the conflict. It is the test of fire,” said Carlos Alfonso Velazquez, a security expert at the University of La Sabana.
Demobilisation
Santos and Timochenko are due to sign a final, full peace agreement sometime between 20 and 26 September.
The ceasefire and definitive end of hostilities will be followed by a six-month demobilisation process.
From today, the FARC’s estimated 7,500 fighters will start heading to collection points to give up their weapons under UN supervision.
Guerrillas who refuse to demobilise and disarm “will be pursued with all the strength of the state forces,” Santos told El Espectador newspaper.
Before the demobilisation, the FARC will convene its leaders and troops one last time before transforming into “a legal political movement,” according to a statement published on Saturday.
Peace referendum
On 2 October, Colombians will go to the polls to cast ballots in a referendum that Santos hopes will endorse the peace agreement.
“A victory for the ‘Yes’ vote will be a mandate from citizens for future governments,” Santos was quoting as saying by El Espectador.
The plebiscite will grant the political legitimacy that is needed.
He said the exact question that will be posed to voters in the referendum would be announced “in the coming days”.
“We are on the verge of perhaps the most important political decision of our lives,” Santos said in a speech on Saturday.
Deadly conflict
The territorial and ideological conflict has drawn in various left- and right-wing armed groups and gangs.
It has left some 260,000 dead, 45,000 missing and 6.9 million people uprooted from their homes.
Efforts to launch peace talks with a smaller rebel group, the National Liberation Army, have yet to bear fruit.
But with the country’s biggest rebel group, the FARC, ordering a definitive ceasefire, the conflict appears to be reaching an end.
“To the soldiers, naval personnel and air force pilots, police and state security and intelligence agencies, we wish to express our clear and definite will for reconciliation,” said Jimenez, known by the nom-de-guerre Timochenko, in Havana.
Rivalries and resentment must remain in the past. Today more than ever we regret that so much death and pain has been caused by the war. Today more than ever we wish to embrace them as compatriots and start to work together for a new Colombia.
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As long as Jar Jar Binks isn’t in it.
Or the Ewoks
Very Little known fact,
Jar jar binks character was originally designed to be a alien in the fox animation studio movie…. Titan AE
Not kidding, seriously!
Very Little known fact,
Jar jar binks character was originally designed to be a alien in the fox animation studio movie…. Titan AE
Not kidding, seriously!…..
No kidding…
I knew dat! And also Jar Jar Binks was originally called Pa Pa Stinks. Apparently. So I was told. Maybe. Woof.
May the force be with old Georgie and his billions
Well the outline of 7/8/9 was written by lucas. Or so I read at one stage… A long time ago…. Ho never mind lol :-).
At least Lucas won’t be directing it…
Leia is now a Disney Princess :(
They’ll bring out a doll (not an action figure) of her in the long white dress at the end of Star Wars with a big plait of hair to rival Rapunzel. And a second one with her dressed like she was on Endor. Fanboys will be fighting with 7 year old girls for them, but 7 year old girls won’t be sad enough to keep them in the boxes!
Princess Leia was my first hero. Yeah she needed a bit of rescuing, but once she got out of that cell, she kicked ass and took names! I’ve mentally blocked out that she snogged her brother… but she also got to shag Han Solo.
Can see the McDonalds kids meal figures alredy..
if disney can do for Lucasfilm what they did for Marvel it’ll be brilliant.
Joss Whedon or JJ Abrams to direct episode 7 please.
Pass on JJ Abrams thanks very much. Very good at making a successful movie but terrible for respecting the setting of the movie. He’ll probably do another “and here’s some random stuff we were too lazy to think up a name for that creates a black hole that sends us back in time” movie.
Best news all day …… No no best news all week….. No wait best news all month!!!!
My sentiment exactly – except worst.
It could actually turn out good if Lucas isn’t in control!
No doubt they’ll have Robert pattinson or Taylor lautner in it. And ill go f*****g mad.
Hey I’m sure Mickey Mouse can do a better job than Lucas’ recent efforts…
Luke I am your Fairy God Mother
Mmmmm disturbed am I that Jar Jar was caught exploring the dark side with an Ewok.
Meditate on this I must.
Samuel L. Jackson to star in “Mace on a Plane”.
over the last few weeks utv have had the star wars movies on and I’ve watched them with my kids they loved them, say what you want about the prequels for a newbie there are a lot more light saber battles than the originals this is what captured my sons attention, either way I’m delighted to see them enjoy the movies too.
Well I suppose they couldn’t feck it up any more than George did.
Having said that I’ll place my bets on an Ewok and Jar Jar Trilogy….
Very sad news. Disney will hammer the final nail into the coffin of Star Wars.
Disney clinging to an aged movie. Short of ideas I reckon
The abysmal performance of John Carter (the movie) nearly wiped Disney out. I don’t think this move is totally surprising. It’s just a pity Irvin Kershner is no longer with us.
It hardly nearly wiped Disney out it only lost €45m by the time it left cinemas the DVD sales and tv revenue will break it even over the next few months, it’s a shame it was so poor it’s the base material for star wars
From John Carter wiki page:
“On May 8, 2012, the Walt Disney Company released a statement on its earnings which attributed the $161 million deterioration in the operating income of their Studio Entertainment division to a loss of $84 million in the quarter ending March 2012 “primarily” to the performance of John Carter and the associated cost write-down.”
In its first week on DVD sales alone it made $40m and since then has doubled at the very least so long term Disney won’t see much of a loss on it and the division it lost the money for is one of many divisions in Disney one of which(marvel) just made a billion dollar movie so probably somewhere in the region of $500m profit from the cinema alone
OMG OMG OMG OMG……!!!!!!
The best part of the announcement is that George Lucas will no longer be in control.
Can’t wait
“worst star wars announcement ever”
As long as they don’t turn it into a musical, I think its safe to say the only way is up…
Might get the original untouched versions of Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Revenge Of The Jedi released on Blu-Ray now Diisbey own the rights!
Whatever Disney do with the Star Wars trilogy isn’t going to bother most people, seeing as they’ve had sex. . . . . .
Malcom Tucker’s synopsis of Star Wars will forever be the most accurate review of any movie made or yet to be made.
Its unprintable here but highly recommend reading it on the Malcom Tucker FB page
Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Iron Giant, Ratatouille, Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol) would be perfect to spearhead a new trilogy. I can’t see anything wrong with this news. Disney did everything right with the team they put together for Avengers and anything has to be a step up from Phantom Menace and Yoda in Vodafone adverts.
Disney probably saw this…. and liked it
Would love to see Peter Jackson or JJ Abrams direct it
Disney will make the cash back but they have a big job convincing the young generation of today who haven’t a clue about Star Wars to watch if. Star wars was big news when it 1st came out not now.
Have you got kids? Believe me, it’s still massive for the young folk.
Agreed. Star Wars Clone wars HUGE among any 7/8 year olds I know. (And quite a few parents!!) ;)
Sorry to say most kids only know the prequels, and animated. Most don’t understand the timeline either; that Anakin is the baddie and actually Vader – in the animations he’s pretty much a goodie all the time. Weird when you think they’re hero is Anakin and not Luke. The whole Clone Wars stuff is confusing. Midi-chlorians rubbish ruined SW anyway.
They’ll have to put a Stanna lift on board the Millenium Falcon to get Harrison Forde on board,…Luke Skywalker will be duelling with a zimmer frame and poor old Chewie will be a rug on Vaders front room floor.
Star Wars 7, 8, and 9 – Still better love stories than Twilight.
Return of the jaded? :)
Not shocked in the slightest. Lucas has been making up things and pretending they are gospel.
In the past he claimed that the movies were about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, that there was only ever 6 movies planned.
I’ve been a huge fan of the Expanded Universe of SW and echo the hope that they make the Thrawn Trilogy of books by Tim Zahn but I’m not counting on it.
If their first project is a “remake” or “reimagining” or “reboot” of Caravan of Courage, Imma cut a bitch!
I believe I quote look when I say: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
In case you’re wondering what kind of fan I am, I refuse to believe Vader ever said this.
*Luke, not look. Jesus I’m in a dopey mood today.
I hope they won’t make it as gay as SW1!
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Looks like the dark side has won in the end !
I’d love to see Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford back on screen. There’s a pretty decent series of books based on the Jedi Academy where Luke is teaching the next generation of Jedi’s (Han and Leia’s sons among them… if I remember rightly). That would set the franchise up for a whole new trilogy.
I wonder would Kenneth Branagh be interested in directing?
As a massive Star Wars fan I have to say that anything Kevin J Anderson penned should be ignored.
The Expanded Universe has influenced the movies. The capital Coruscant was named in the EU long before the Prequels. If any EU is to be made on to the cinema it should be Tim Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy. Sadly parts of it are way too dark to be in a kid friendly movie and parts of the books would have to be rewritten to alter differences between the movie prequels and the Facts Zahn laid out on the Clone Wars.
Yeah, I liked the Thrawn trilogy and Zahn’s other stuff but it’s set just a short while after RoTJ so all the original actors are too old. Of course… they could always change that. Still, I wouldn’t throw the Jedi Academy idea out completely. Clearly the Jedi ranks need to be rebuilt so something could be done there to bring in a new generation of action leads with the old guard getting some screen time as mentors and strategists…
Anyway.. it’ll be interesting to see what direction they take..
Will the original cast be involved one wonders? Middle aged Jedi with middle aged spread??? Having seen what Disney did with the Marvel license I think this has potential. Wait & see
Really rich he is.
can’t wait, “Caravan of Shite 2″.
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