Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, despite the rejection of his peace deal by the Colombian people last week.
The peace deal had been agreed between the Colombian government and the rebel Farc group, in order to end the 52 year war between them. However it failed to gain the support of the public, who voted to reject the plan by 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent – around 54,000 of the 13 million votes cast.
Santos and the leader of the Farc rebel group, Rodrigo Londoño, known as Timochenko, were both contenders for the prestigious prize for their efforts to agree a deal after four years of talks. However, the Nobel committee chose to award the prize to Santos in recognition of his “resolute efforts” to end the conflict in Colombia, which has claimed the lives of over 260,000 people and displaced 6 million more.
Santos dedicated his award to the victims of war, saying he was “infinitely grateful” for the “honourable distinction”.
“I accept it not on my behalf but on behalf of all Colombians, especially the millions of victims of this conflict which we have suffered for more than 50 years.
“It is for the victims and so that there not be a single new victim, not a single new casualty that we must reconcile and unite to culminate this process and begin to construct a stable and durable peace”, he continued.
Many were surprised that Santos was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize after it became apparent his peace deal had not gained the support of the people. Just 38 percent of the Colombian population voted in the referendum, which was held last Sunday, prompting the shock result. Polls published ahead of the vote had expected 66 percent in favour of passing the peace deal.
Both Santos and FARC have pledged to continue to work together towards peace, despite the President saying before the vote that there was “no Plan B”. In the wake of the result, Santos said he would “continue the search for peace until the last moment of my mandate because that’s the way to leave a better country to our children”.
FARC similarly committed itself to the cause, saying in a statement that it would “only words as a weapon to build toward the future”.