Fate of Colombia 'in Your Hands,' FARC Leader Tells Guerrillas

The leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) called today on the members of the guerrilla group to ratify the peace agreement with the government of Colombia, remarks that came during the 10th National Guerrilla Conference, which marks the group's transition into a political group. 

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"There's a whole country that has waited for 52 years for peace and has fought tirelessly for it," said FARC-EP leader Rodrigo Lodoño, better known as "Timochenko," during the opening speech of the conferece. 

This year’s conference runs from Sept. 17 to 23 in Llanos del Yari, a town in an Indigenous region of southern Colombia home to several campesino movements. The event has received criticism from right-wing movements in the country, and former presidents.

"If our opponents want to say that they’ve won the war, let them. For the FARC-EP and our people, the greatest satisfaction will always be that we have won peace,"  said Timochenko.

Photos: Reuters

Some 200 delegates, 29 members of FARC's top leadership, around 50 guests and 350 journalists are attendng the confernece, where it is expected that the members of the FARC-EP will vote on each part of the peace agreement.

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"The children of Colombia should have a real chance to grow and be happy in a country at peace," said Timochenko. "The fate of Colombia is in your hands."

The final peace agreement will be signed on Sept. 26 in a ceremony held in Cartagena de Indias, after almost four years of negotiations between the government and the guerrilla in Havana, Cuba.

The peace accords will then be put to a popular in a plebiscite on Oct. 2 that will ask Colombians whether or not they accept the final deal. If achieved, the agreement could end the over five decade long conflict that has killed over 220,000 people and displaced some 6.3 million others.

The Guerrilla Conference is the decision-making center for the armed group and also creates political and military plans and strategies, which direct the revolutionary process inside the group. There were nine such conferences from 1965 until 2007, and this year's event could be the last for the armed group, as they transition into politics.