The government of Colombia and Marxist guerrillas signed a peace agreement last week that ended more than five decades of civil war. The deal followed nearly four years of difficult negotiations; Cuba played a crucial role in mediating the talks. The agreement includes a detailed timeline that identifies the steps needed to truly halt the bloody conflict. The deal now goes to the Colombian people for their endorsement. While approval is not guaranteed — there is great bitterness among parts of Colombian society — the agreement should be passed. It is long past time to end this bitter struggle.

The war began in 1964, when rebels, inspired by the revolution in Cuba, took up arms to forcibly redistribute Colombia's wealth. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known by the Spanish acronym FARC) has waged a bloody war ever since, taking territory, creating virtual no-go zones, attacking government forces and kidnapping high-profile citizens, such as Ingrid Betancourt, then a presidential candidate, who was held for six years before she was freed by a military rescue operation.

FARC's income has been supplemented by trafficking in cocaine, along with the extortion of businesses in areas where it is strong. Its forces have been augmented by children who were seized and forced to become soldiers. International organizations accuse FARC soldiers of human rights abuses, frequently against civilians. It has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, but that had little impact on its operations. The result has been a 52-year insurgency that claimed 220,000 lives and displaced an estimated 5 million people — 10 percent of the population.