Colombian Women Say Yes to Peace

A group of Colombian women, led by former senator and activist Piedad Cordoba, delivered a letter Friday to President Juan Manuel Santos in which they reiterate their support for the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

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"We are a convinced that dialogue is the only tool that will allow us to end the armed conflict in order to give us the task to build a country with peace," the document said.

The letter was read by Piedad Cordoba in a ceremony at the presidencial palace, Palacio de Nariño, capital of Bogota.

Cordoba said President Santos promised the group of women that peace agreements with the FARC guerrillas will remain standing despite the unexpected result in a referendum in which very narrowlyvoted “No” to the deal. 

The negative result is largely blamed on former President Alvaro Uribe and right-wing sectors of Colombia who spearheaded the “No” campaign. Uribe and the members of his conservative Democratic Center party claim that the terms of the deal are too lenient with the rebel group.

Despite this the international community has endorsed the peace deal signed by Santos and FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez, known as Timochenko, on Sept. 26 in Havana, Cuba. Santos has even been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in ending the conflict. 

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Piedad Cordoba announced that she and a group of activists will attend the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony that will take place on Dec. 10 in Oslo, Norway.

The 52-year-old armed conflict has killed as many as 220,000 Colombians and left more than 5million people displaced.