The decision of the Nobel committee to give Columbia’s president Juan Manuel Santos the peace prize has surprised many. Santos led intensive talks with FARC rebels over the past four years and a deal was brokered. But when the people of Columbia gave the deal a thumbs-down in a referendum, Santos found himself on shaky ground. Just when it seemed all was lost, the peace prize came like a breath of fresh air to Columbia which has been in the throes of a civil conflict since 1964. The war showed no signs of a let up until Santos opened talks with FARC rebels. But there are many who believe that the agreement is lopsided because it allowed rebel leaders facing war crimes to avoid jail terms and stand for elections. Since the vote was won by a slender margin of 50.2 per cent and with the weight of the peace prize behind him, Santos is now in a position to renegotiate some terms of the deal or push it through. Civil war has claimed over 220,000 lives in the last 50 years and displaced over six million people. Columbia deserves another shot at peace and the Nobel Peace Prize will help those who are rooting for peace.
