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| Colombia Farc rebels announce definitive ceasefire | Colombia Farc rebels announce definitive ceasefire |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The main leftist rebel group in Colombia, the Farc, has ordered all its fighters to observe a ceasefire from midnight local time (05:00 GMT Monday). | The main leftist rebel group in Colombia, the Farc, has ordered all its fighters to observe a ceasefire from midnight local time (05:00 GMT Monday). |
| The definitive ceasefire brings to an end the group's 52-year-old war against the Colombian state. It follows four years of peace talks in Cuba. | The definitive ceasefire brings to an end the group's 52-year-old war against the Colombian state. It follows four years of peace talks in Cuba. |
| Farc leader Timoleon Jimenez, also known as Timochenko, said that the long war against the state was over. | |
| The final peace agreement will be signed in the next few weeks. | The final peace agreement will be signed in the next few weeks. |
| "I order all our commanders and units and each one of our combatants to definitively cease fire and hostilities against the Colombian state from midnight tonight," Timochenko told reporters. | |
| Crucial milestone: analysis by Will Grant, BBC News, Havana | |
| In one sense, the Farc's announcement of a total ceasefire is purely procedural. In another, it is a historic moment towards a lasting peace. It is procedural in that the bilateral ceasefire had already been agreed and there has in effect been a truce on the ground for several months. | |
| But the definitive ceasefire was supposed to come into force the day after the final peace agreement was signed by President Santos and the leader of the Farc, Timoleon Jimenez - an event expected in Cartagena at the end of September. This moves that forward in a gesture of goodwill on both sides. | |
| It is historic in that - finally - it brings to an end more than 50 years of conflict which left an estimated 260,000 people dead and millions internally displaced. These milestones are crucial for the Colombian peace process. | |
| Perhaps more important is what comes next: a referendum on the agreement in early October. That will decide the fate of the years of negotiation in Havana and, in the process, the political futures of both President Santos and the Farc. | |
| The two sides had signed a bilateral ceasefire in June, paving the way for a final agreement. | The two sides had signed a bilateral ceasefire in June, paving the way for a final agreement. |
| Under the terms of the agreement, the Farc (the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) will give up its armed struggle and join the legal political process. | Under the terms of the agreement, the Farc (the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) will give up its armed struggle and join the legal political process. |
| The longest-running conflict in South America has killed an estimated 260,000 people and displaced millions. | The longest-running conflict in South America has killed an estimated 260,000 people and displaced millions. |