Mixed feelings for Colombian Montrealers about peace deal's failure
Peace deal that would have ended Colombia's 52-year civil war rejected by narrow margin
The narrow rejection Sunday night by voters in Colombia of a peace deal between the government and the rebel group known as FARC left some Colombian Montrealers feeling "shocked," and others relieved.
The peace accord between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC commander Rodrigo Londono was seen as a vital step towards ending a 52-year conflict, which has claimed 220,000 lives and left millions displaced.
But Colombians rejected the deal in a referendum, with 50.23 per cent voting No and 49.76 per cent voting Yes.
"I'm deeply disappointed. For me, this is the first time in my life that I feel ashamed to be Colombian," said Juanita Botero, who moved to Montreal from Bogota just over a year ago.
For Botero, whose family is from the central Colombian city of Manizales, the deal was going to be a welcome and "motivating" change after years of hardship.
"We had some family members that were victims of kidnapping, that were killed, so we know what it's like to be part of the conflict," she said. "Yesterday we were shocked."
We all want peace. We don't necessarily agree with the way the FARC wants peace to happen right now and that's why people voted No.- Kamil Luna, Colombian Montrealer
Jonathan Lopez, a 23-year-old student at McGill University, was also disappointed by the results.
"I was expecting the majority of Colombians to finally bring peace to the country after more than 50 years of conflict," he said.
Lopez wasn't the only one who thought the peace deal, four years in the making, would result in a Yes vote.
"There is for sure a lot of division in Colombia right now," Lopez said.
"There might be a lot of protests as well because 49 per cent of the people, they want peace … and they're not going to accept this decision as the final one."
Disagreement on what a peace deal should look like
For Colombian Montrealer Kamil Luna, voting No didn't mean he was voting in favour of conflict.
"We all want peace. We don't necessarily agree with the way the FARC wants peace to happen right now, and that's why people voted No," Luna said.
Many in the slight majority that voted No did so in part because FARC members were given amnesty and would be allowed to participate in upcoming presidential and legislative elections.
But Botero said the country "badly needed a yes" to put an end to the violent conflict that mostly affects rural regions.
Luna, on the other hand, suggested the FARC's influence in rural areas inflated support for the peace deal in those areas of the country.
"I understand that most of the violence happens in the rural areas, but likewise, the guerillas hold a lot of power in rural areas," Luna said. "To some extent it's 'Vote for Yes because I'm telling you to vote for Yes because I have a big gun.'"
With files from Sean Henry, Victoria Stunt and Reuters