FARC rebels and the Colombian military are meeting in Havana to negotiate

Members of the Colombian military met face-to-face with FARC rebel leaders in Havana, Cuba on Friday to negotiate a peaceful ending the five-decade-long conflict between the two, a move that the Colombian government is calling a “decisive phase”.

“We’ve entered a decisive moment in the process. There’s a real possibility of ending the conflict,” said the government’s chief negotiator, Humberto de la Calle.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos revealed the names of the ten military personal who will form the sub-committee following Thursday’s announcement that deputy commander of the armed forces, Javier Florez, would be leading the sub-committee aimed to discuss a bilateral ceasefire and the demobilization of the FARC.

“This week, we have put in march three enormously important mechanisms that are going to strengthen and guide the government and rebel delegations’ work in this decisive phase,” de la Calle said. “In the past few days, the process has taken on a new dynamic… We are in an advanced phase of the conversations.”

Peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia taking place in Cuba’s capital over the past two years still face numerous obstacles. One of the most widespread concerns that Colombians have is that the atrocities that have been committed by the FARC will go unpunished, however, Colombians will likely be given the right to vote on any deal in a referendum.

Read more about the story at BBC.