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News > Latin America

Thousands of Colombians March for Peace

  • Supporters of the peace deal signed between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels gather at Bolivar Square during a march for peace in Bogota, Colombia, October 20, 2016.

    Supporters of the peace deal signed between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels gather at Bolivar Square during a march for peace in Bogota, Colombia, October 20, 2016. | Photo: Reuters

Published 21 October 2016
Opinion

The peaceful demonstration followed a controversial referendum held earlier this month in which Colombians voted against the peace deal with the FARC.

Thousands of Colombians took to the streets across the country on Thursday night in order to call on people and authorities to make peace a reality in their country.

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Under the slogans "peace to the streets" and “no more war,” citizens answered the call in the country’s main cities. The largest rallies were in Bogota and Medellin.

The peaceful demonstration followed a controversial referendum held earlier this month in which Colombians voted 50.21 percent to 49.78 percent, against the peace deal, which was aimed at halting more than five decades years of armed conflict with the FARC guerrillas.

"We don't want this process that has cost so much economic effort, so much time, to be interrupted. We don't want one more bullet, we don't want any more lives of children lost," said Orlando Solano, an attendee at the rally in Bogota.

The deal was officially signed by President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez, known as Timochenko, on Sept. 26.

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"The Oct. 2 vote showed us one thing, and that's that the cities, young people that haven't felt the war, that haven't experienced the bombs falling on our roofs, that haven't felt the landmines, (have) made the wrong choice unfortunately," Paz Gonzalez said.

The negative result is largely blamed on former president Alvaro Uribe and the 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.

"Peace in Colombia won't be reached with demonstrations, banners or flowers. Peace in Colombia will be achieved with more social justice, more equality," Alberto Corzo said.

Both the FARC and the government have also said it would “remain faithful” to the deal that aims to end a conflict that has killed as many as 220,000 Colombians and left more than five million people displaced.

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