FARC: Colombia Ceasefire to Continue Despite Referendum Loss

Peace Process Not Dead Despite Shocking Vote Results

A referendum on the peace deal with FARC, expected to be a landslide victory, ended up a shocking loss yesterday, with 50.2% of voters rejecting the deal, and 49.8% in favor. While this has left everyone stunned, it does not appear to mean an immediate return to the war that has raged for 52 years.

FARC called on its supporters to “mobilize peacefully” to back the peace process, and has promised that they will continue to respect the ceasefire, and the peace deal as it was to be implemented. The Colombian government doesn’t appear to be looking to make any changes either.

President Santos warned there was no “Plan B,” and insisted he is going to continue to support the peace process through the rest of his term in office, doing anything he can to save the deal. Even former President Uribe, who campaigned against the deal, isn’t wanting a return to war.

Rather, Uribe has been trying to score political points over his rival Santos, and is now promising to step forward and help make “corrections” to the peace deal which would ensure it was more palatable and able to survive a referendum.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.