October 7, 2016

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the 52-year conflict with left-wing rebels. The Nobel committee in Norway praised him for his peace agreement with Farc rebels, signed last month after four years of negotiations. However, Colombians narrowly rejected the deal in a vote last weekend. The conflict has killed about 260,000 people. More than six million have been internally displaced.

Mr Santos was selected from a list of 376 candidates - 228 were individuals and 148 were organisations. They included:

the Syrian White Helmets, civil defence volunteers who rescue bomb victimsthe negotiators of the international deal to limit Iran's nuclear programmeGreek islanders on the front line of Europe's refugee crisis.

The award did not include Farc leader Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko, who signed the accord with Mr Santos.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 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," said committee chairwoman Kaci Kullmann Five.

"The award should also be seen as a tribute to the Colombian people who, despite great hardships and abuses, have not given up hope of a just peace, and to all the parties who have contributed to the peace process," she added.

(Source: BBC)