that 2016 Nobel Peace Prize goes to
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos
an advocate for peace in the 1950s
Colombia was faced with a national
crisis over the proper usage of farming
land by the end of the 1960's 400,000
farming families had been displaced and
their land turned into industrial arms
owned by the government these actions
were seen as unjust and they sparked a
national rebellion led by the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
or FARC due to their guerrilla tactics
no one was safe not even those not
directly involved in the conflict
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Santos grew up watching this terror and
violence shape his country and he wanted
to stop the fighting he enlisted in the
Colombian Navy learned Business and
Economics from prestigious schools
around the world and then returned home
to Colombia in 1994 he founded the good
government foundation whose objective
was to demilitarize the parts of the
country still fighting an established
peace with FARC in 2010 he became
president of Colombia and contrary to
his predecessors dedicated his entire
platform to achieving peace at any cost
in September 2016 an agreement was
reached between the Colombian government
and FARC stating the dispute would be
settled with truth and a reconciliation
like process instead of prosecuting the
rebels an admission of guilt would be
made and reparations would be paid
this was the closest anyone had ever
come to achieving peace and this
movement was widely supported by
Colombian celebrities including Shakira
and John Leguizamo unfortunately the
referendum failed by a national vote of
49.8% four and 50.2%
against it undeterred by this he put the
vote before the Colombian Congress and
on November 30th 2016 the vote was
ratified at last Colombia would no peace
without forgiveness there can be no
peace no one understands this more than
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos
winner of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize
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