OSLO: Efforts by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to end five decades of war in his country were recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
Mr Santos negotiated a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group but the peace deal was rejected by a narrow majority of Colombians when it was put to referendum.
The Nobel committee said it was giving the award to Mr Santos despite the referendum defeat to “encourage all those who are striving to achieve peace, reconciliation and justice in Colombia”
“President Santos has been taking the very first and historic initiative, there have been other attempts to try to reach peace deals in Colombia but this time he went all in,” said Kaci Kullmann Five, the chair of the committee.
“He, as the leader of the government went all in with a strong will to reach a result.”
