FA S H I O N B E AU T Y LIVING H E A LT H E N T E RTA I N M E N T NEWS e f i t d

FARC & Government Reach A Peace Deal

Here's What Life Is Like For Female
Fighters
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25 AUG 2016 3:30 PM

ANDREA GONZALEZ-RAMIREZ

Update: The Colombian government and the

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) finally reached a peace deal after four
years of negotiation.

The historic agreement means that the 52-

year-old conflict that killed over 220,000 and
displaced more than 5 million is finally over,
Reuters reported. FARC fighters will disarm
and reintegrate to civilian life.

A plebiscite vote regarding the deal will be

held in October.

The agreement is "the beginning of the end to

the suffering, pain, and tragedy of war," said
President Juan Manuel Santos, according to
the BBC.

Ahead, a look into the lives of FARC's female

f p
fighters.
PHOTO: FEDERICO
FEDERICO RIOS.
RIOS.

This article was originally published on June 25, 2016.

It has been the single longest running civil war in the Western Hemisphere.

For 52 years, the conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government has impacted the
entire country, displacing about 5.7 million people and leaving over 220,000 people dead.

But history was made on Thursday when a cease-fire agreement was signed in Havana, Cuba, after almost four years of negotiations
between the armed group and the government. Women played a crucial role throughout the negotiation process, according to the U.N.
Women's organisation.

"As we celebrate this new step and look forward to the journey ahead, let us not forget the sacrifice and effort of Colombian women, and
the importance that their leadership and participation must have in the final stage of this peace process and the implementation of all
agreements," Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of U.N. Women, said in a statement.

Colombian photographer Federico Rios spent time documenting the life of the women in the FARC, who compose about 30% of the
armed groups forces. The FARC is the single largest leftist guerrilla group in the country.

The most interesting thing to Rios was that gender seemed to play less of a role in how fighters spent their days.
"I feel that in [the] FARC, they are seen and treated as equals. Men and women cook, wash clothes, and fight in the front line, just as
equals," he said.

Ahead, Rios shares his photos and the stories of these female fighters with Refinery29.

Editor's note: Captions were provided by Rios and have been edited for clarity. Some of the fighters Rios interviewed use pseudonyms.

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FARC COLOMBIA, CUBA CEASEFIRE - FEMALE FIGHTERS PHOTOS

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