Nation & World News
Colombian leader Juan Manuel Santos wins Nobel Peace Prize
By Bob D'Angelo
Oct 7, 2016Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to end a 52-year civil war that has killed more than 200,000 people. The award comes five days after voters in Colombia narrowly rejected a peace deal that the 65-year-old Santos helped craft.
"The referendum was not a vote for or against peace," the Nobel Committee said. "What the 'No' side rejected was not the desire for peace, but a specific peace agreement."
According to The Associated Press, the committee did not cite Santos' counterpart in the peace negotiations, Rodrigo Londono, the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Santos and Londono, known as Timochenko, signed the peace deal last month.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it believes that Santos, despite the voters' rejection, "has brought the bloody conflict significantly closer to a peaceful solution.
BREAKING NEWS The 2016 #NobelPrize #Peace is awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos pic.twitter.com/7OhiCruc1o
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2016
