ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos “for his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end.”
This week, Colombians voted in a referendum to narrowly defeat a peace deal negotiated between the Colombian government, led by Santos, and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).
An estimated 220,000 Colombians were killed and close to six millions were displaced in the war. Many voters felt the peace deal forgave the FARC too quickly for their crimes, allowing for many former guerillas to enter politics and prison terms deemed too lenient for others.
Despite the slim rejection of the peace deal, the Norwegian Nobel Committee intended that the award will encourage those “striving to achieve peace, reconciliation and justice in Colombia,” noting that the peace process is not dead.
“What the ‘No’ side rejected was not the desire for peace, but a specific peace agreement.”
Acknowledging that there are no simple solutions to the conflict, the committee commended Santos, who “brought the bloody conflict significantly closer to a peaceful solution.”
“It is the Committee's hope that in the years to come the Colombian people will reap the fruits of the ongoing peace and reconciliation process. Only then will the country be able to address effectively major challenges such as poverty, social injustice and drug-related crime.”
In the lead up to the referendum vote, many in Colombia voiced concern over rumours that Santos could be awarded the Peace Prize jointly with Timoleón ‘Timochenko’ Jiménez, the FARC leader. People asked how Timochenko, with so much blood on his hands, could be awarded a prize for peace.
Despite the referendum result, the FARC has said they remain committed to the peace deal.
The peace negotiations may serve as a model to finally reach a peaceful solution to Turkey’s conflict with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), some experts believe.
There were 376 nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, including 228 individuals and 148 organizations, but the list is not made public until 50 years later.
It has been widely reported in the media however that this year’s nominees included the Yezidi activist Nadia Murad, the volunteer first responders Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, residents of Greek islands who rescued refugees and asylum-seekers landing on their shores, and Dr. Denis Muwege, a Congolese doctor who has helped thousands of rape victims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This week, Colombians voted in a referendum to narrowly defeat a peace deal negotiated between the Colombian government, led by Santos, and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).
An estimated 220,000 Colombians were killed and close to six millions were displaced in the war. Many voters felt the peace deal forgave the FARC too quickly for their crimes, allowing for many former guerillas to enter politics and prison terms deemed too lenient for others.
Despite the slim rejection of the peace deal, the Norwegian Nobel Committee intended that the award will encourage those “striving to achieve peace, reconciliation and justice in Colombia,” noting that the peace process is not dead.
“What the ‘No’ side rejected was not the desire for peace, but a specific peace agreement.”
Acknowledging that there are no simple solutions to the conflict, the committee commended Santos, who “brought the bloody conflict significantly closer to a peaceful solution.”
“It is the Committee's hope that in the years to come the Colombian people will reap the fruits of the ongoing peace and reconciliation process. Only then will the country be able to address effectively major challenges such as poverty, social injustice and drug-related crime.”
In the lead up to the referendum vote, many in Colombia voiced concern over rumours that Santos could be awarded the Peace Prize jointly with Timoleón ‘Timochenko’ Jiménez, the FARC leader. People asked how Timochenko, with so much blood on his hands, could be awarded a prize for peace.
Despite the referendum result, the FARC has said they remain committed to the peace deal.
The peace negotiations may serve as a model to finally reach a peaceful solution to Turkey’s conflict with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), some experts believe.
There were 376 nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, including 228 individuals and 148 organizations, but the list is not made public until 50 years later.
It has been widely reported in the media however that this year’s nominees included the Yezidi activist Nadia Murad, the volunteer first responders Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, residents of Greek islands who rescued refugees and asylum-seekers landing on their shores, and Dr. Denis Muwege, a Congolese doctor who has helped thousands of rape victims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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