Nick MiroffNovember 19, 2012 22:15

HAVANA, Cuba — As the hosts of a new round of peace talks between Colombian officials and leftist FARC rebels, the Cuban government will be supplying more than coffee and refreshments. Havana has a major stake in helping end Latin America’s longest-running civil conflict. While Cuban authorities have kept relatively quiet about their role in bringing the two sides together, a peace deal would be a major diplomatic achievement for Raul Castro’s government and a blow to Washington’s attempts to punish Cuba for keeping ties to the FARC.

FARC rebels declare unilateral ceasefire as peace talks open in Cuba

Jessica PhelanNovember 19, 2012 14:50

FARC rebels have declared a unilateral ceasefire for the next two months, as they prepare to begin peace talks with the Colombian government in Cuba.

Can Colombia end its decades-old guerrilla war?

John OtisNovember 15, 2012 07:00

QUIBDO, Colombia — When the Colombian government and Marxist rebels begin face-to-face peace talks Monday in Cuba, the people of the South American country’s northern Choco department will follow the negotiations closely. The guerrilla war that began in 1964 affects them nearly every day.

Milburn LineSeptember 29, 2012 08:50

The Colombia conundrum: Why the United States should support the peace talks

Commentary: Clear policy benefits would accrue from visible US support of talks hosted by Norway and Cuba

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Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, President of Colombia, speaks during the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly September 26, 2012 at UN headquarters in New York (STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

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SAN DIEGO — Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos gave an inspiring speech at the United Nations General Assembly this week. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and member states have lauded his visionary commitment to ending Colombia’s half-century civil war. But sitting down to negotiate, as he proposes, with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) insurgency, a group with deep ties to narco-trafficking, kidnapping and on the US terrorist watch list, is not without a high degree of political risk.

Milburn LineSeptember 2, 2012 09:07

Did US squander an opportunity to lead coming Colombian peace talks?

Commentary: An awkward development for US as Cuba and Venezuela host talks.

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An outdoor exhibit marks International Day of the Disappeared in Bogota, on Aug. 30. According to the United Nations there are more than 57,200 missing people in Colombia in the last 30 years, more than 15,000 are considered victims of enforced disappearance. (Eitan Abramovich/AFP/Getty Images)

SAN DIEGO — The politics of peace in Colombia: Has the United States missed an opportunity? Monday’s announcement of Colombian peace talks brokered by Cuba, Norway and Venezuela caught more than a few by surprise. After years of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos halting all discussions of peace, colorfully claiming to be keeping the keys to peace in his pocket, it was hard to surmise why they were pulled out just now?

Colombia's government and FARC agree to hold peace talks

John OtisAugust 27, 2012 16:44

UPDATE: BOGOTA — Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has confirmed mounting speculation that peace talks between his government and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are under way. For the first time in a decade, the Colombian government looks ready to sit down for talks with the country’s largest Marxist guerrilla group in an effort to end nearly half a century of fighting.

Colombia: Meet the man accused of planning his own kidnapping

John OtisJuly 10, 2012 06:00

CALI, Colombia — During seven years as a guerrilla hostage Colombian politician Sigifredo Lopez endured forced marches, wretched food, abusive guards who chained him to trees, and the constant threat of execution. Yet even though Lopez was freed in 2009, his nightmare continues. For starters, he’s no longer free.

Good news: Colombia and FARC rebels seek peace

Toby MuseMarch 27, 2012 15:37

So why are they killing each other with such gusto?

Colombia issues arrest warrant for former peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo

Hélène HofmanFebruary 9, 2012 20:50

Authorites claim Restrepo has already fled Colombia

Girish GuptaJanuary 18, 2012 12:50

Chavez swears in controversial defense minister

Alleged friend of FARC sworn in as head of military

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez walks during the military inauguration ceremony of his new Defense Minister Gen. Henry Rangel Silva (not in frame) on January 17, 2012 in Caracas. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images (AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

A military General accused by the United States of aiding drug trafficking and pushing for co-operation between the Venezuelan government and Colombian left-wing rebels the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was yesterday sworn in by President Hugo Chavez as the countryâ€™s defense minister.