Colombia to sign peace deal with FARC guerrillas ending 52-year conflict

Colombia's bloody 52-year guerrilla war that has claimed the lives of a quarter of a million people will formally end later with the signing of a peace deal.

The historic agreement between country's President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist rebel leader Timochenko follows four years of negotiations held in Cuba.

It marks the end of Latin America's longest-running conflict, with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels exchanging the bullet for the ballot box to become a political party.

Around 2,500 foreign and local dignitaries will attend the ceremony in the colonial city of Cartagena, where Mr Santos and Timochenko, a nom de guerre for the 57-year-old revolutionary chief, will shake hands for the first time on Colombian soil.

Guests will include UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Cuban President Raul Castro and US Secretary of State John Kerry, as well as victims of the conflict.

Jewellery-seller Juan Gamarra, 43, said: "I can't believe this day has finally come, peace is coming to Colombia."

However, while there is relief at the end to the violence, the deal has been controversial.

Some, including influential former president Alvaro Uribe, are angry the agreement will allow rebels to enter congress without spending any time in jail.

The deal must be ratified in a referendum on 2 October, but polls indicate it will be easily passed.

FARC, which began as a peasant revolt in the 1960s, went on to become a major player in the cocaine trade and had up 20,000 fighters at its height.

It used kidnapping ransoms and drug money to fund its campaign.

The group's remaining members will hand over their weapons to the UN within 180 days.

Duvier, a 25-year-old rebel, said: "It's such an important day - now we can fight politically, without blood, without war."

Concerns persist about how the remaining 7,000 rebels will integrate into society, but most people are optimistic.

It is expected the end of the fighting will deliver a boost to the economy with reduced security costs and areas being opened up to mining and oil companies.

However, this could be frustrated by criminal gangs stepping into the void left by the rebels, while landmines may also hamper development.