FARC to Pursue Peaceful Politics as Colombia's War Ends - Commander

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) former rebels will continue to pursue their left-wing ideas via political means as Colombia's 52-year conflict ends, FARC commander in chief Rodrigo Londono Echeverri said.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Echeverri, who goes under the alias of Timochenko, signed a historic peace deal with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Monday. The signing ceremony was shown live by the TeleSUR channel.

"No one is giving up their ideas here, we will continue to fight for our ideas on the political arena," the commander said.

Timochenko asked all those who suffered as a result of the conflict for forgiveness and declared a new era for Colombia.

"I ask you to forgive me for all the pain which we may have caused during this war…Let God save Colombia, the war has ended," he said.

As the former rebel commander's speech concluded, planes flew over the central square of Cartagena, where the ceremony took place, painting Colombia's national flag in the sky. Timochenko described the planes as bringing peace instead of bombs.

Colombia was mired in a half-century war between the FARC and the Colombian government, which has claimed lives of a quarter of a million people. The two parties began peace talks in November 2012 and signed a historic ceasefire agreement in Cuba on August 24.