Colombian president says he will donate peace prize money to war victims
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President Juan Manuel Santos says he'll donate almost $1 million in Nobel Peace Prize money to the victims of Colombia's half-century conflict.
Santos made the announcement Sunday during a visit with his family and top government officials to an impoverished town in western Colombia where dozens of people were killed while stranded in a church during an intense battle between leftist rebels and far-right militias.
He promised the residents of Bojaya that he won't give up on securing peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia despite voters' rejection of a deal with the guerrillas in a referendum a week ago. More than 96 percent of residents of Bojaya voted for the peace deal.
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"You symbolize the suffering of the victims of 52 years of war and are at the center of the solution to this conflict," a visibly moved Santos told the crowd. "The victims have taught me that the capacity to forgive can overcome hatred and rancor."
Of the 81 Colombian municipalities hardest-hit by the conflict, 67 voted for the peace deal, according to the Bogota-based Peace and Reconciliation Foundation.
Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday less than a week after the peace accord was shot down in a vote that even surprised government opponents. Polls taken before the referendum showed the "yes" vote winning by an almost two-to-one margin after Santos and FARC leader Timochenko signed the 297-page accord in front of world leaders six days earlier.
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During his visit to Bojaya, Santos attended a Mass at the church rebuilt following the mortar attack launched by the FARC. Residents gave him a replica of the Christ statue mutilated during the attack, a gift the president said he values as much as the Nobel Prize and which encourages him to find a way to implement the peace accord.
"I'm not going to falter a single minute. I'm not going to give up a single second" in the search for peace, he said.
Santos said the donated money would be channeled to infrastructure projects in conflict areas and to victims' groups.
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FARC leaders have twice visited Bojaya to ask forgiveness and discuss with community leaders actions to help the town rebuild.
The Nobel Peace Prize carries an 8 million kronor ($930,000) award. It will be awarded Dec. 10 in Oslo, Norway.
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