Continuing with peace talks that began in October, Colombia negotiators and Marxist FARC rebels will meet today in Havana in a 4^th attempt to end almost 50 years of brutal civil war. Both Colombian officials and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, are optimistic that peace talks can be successful this time.

The FARC was established in 1964 as the military arm for the Colombian Communist Party, and there has been a reign of terror and violence in the region ever since. The U.S. classified FARC as a terrorist organization and began backing successful military strikes against them in 2002. A BBC article reports it is estimated that “The Farc, who numbered 16,000 in 2001, are now thought to have some 8,000 fighters.”

According to Reuters, 5 topics are on the agenda for negotiation:

It will begin with rural development, then move on to include such topics as the political and legal future of the rebels, a definitive end to the conflict, the problem of drug trafficking and compensation for war victims.

Read the Reuters article here.

Read the BBC article here.