Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was announced as the 2016 Nobel Prize winner, much to the surprise of the international community. Santos is still reeling from a major bump on the road to peace between the government and the notorious FARC guerillas, when Colombians said no to the brokered peace agreement in a recent plebiscite.
Despite this major setback, however, the Nobel Peace Prize committee said that Santos was being recognized for “his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end,” as reported in a Time report. They added that Santos’ efforts to “bring the bloody conflict significantly closer to a peaceful solution” should be lauded.
Elusive peace for Colombia
As Santos is being feted internationally, he still has a lot of work to do at home if he is to continue his fight for peace for his country. A Guardian report cited that after the “No” vote, the government only has until the end of October to go back to the negotiating table again, before a bilateral ceasefire ends. Otherwise, the violence that the civil war is known for will be coming back.
The Economist cited that aside from the rebels, Santos has to deal with local opposition to the peace talks mainly coming from his staunch political opponent Alvaro Uribe. Uribe led the “No” campaign against the agreement and according to the report, both men should find a way to work with each other for peace to be achieved.
FARC rebels on the other hand have become more open and the report said, more “genuine” to want an end to the civil war, but Colombians are not as convinced. After years of narco-violence, there is still “mistrust and hatred.”