After the public initially rejected a peace deal in a referendum a month earlier, both sides promptly returned to the table to renegotiate some of the finer elements. President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño “Timochenko” signed the deal on Thursday, definitively ending the war that has gripped the country for decades. The accord will be sent to congress, and is expected to pass after a debate in the following weeks. The original deal was rejected on grounds that it was too soft on guerrilla commanders responsible for war crimes, and rewarded them by allowing them to run for public office.

Low turnout in regions most affected by the civil war also contributed to the defeat, most probably due to Hurricane Patricia. Regions with little violence tended to vote against the peace deal on moral grounds. The failure of the deal to pass at referendum was exploited by former President Alvaro Uribe. The changes made include that FARC must declare all its asses and hand them over, a time limit of 10 years has been set for the transitional justice system, and FARC rebels will be expected to provide exhaustive information about any drug trafficking they may have been involved in. It is expected that similar peace accords will be sought with other rebel groups. It is unknown what effect the peace deal will have on the ongoing drug war, and associated violence.

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