Colombians are celebrating the signing of a ceasefire by the government and the Farc rebel movement, which ended 50 years of civil war. In the capital, Bogota, people took to the streets, hugging each other and singing the national anthem. The announcement is seen as one of the last steps before a full peace deal is signed, which is expected within weeks. The longest-running insurgency in the Western Hemisphere left some 220,000 people dead and millions displaced. Thursday’s announcement in Havana caps formal peace talks that started three years ago in the Cuban capital, BBC reported. But it does not mark the start of the ceasefire, which will only begin with the signing of a final accord. Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has previously said he hopes to sign that by the end of July. “Let this be the last day of the war,” Farc leader Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko, said at the announcement. Both sides agreed to let the courts rule whether a popular vote can be held in Colombia to endorse the deal, which was a promise made by Santos.
