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Crisis Group’s Mark Schneider sat among the sea of white blouses and Guayabera shirts gathered before Colombia’s president and FARC guerrilla commander as they signed their historic peace deal on 26 September 2016. Here he remembers the ups and downs of a decades-long struggle to end the country’s once-chronic war.

While a "new Condor Plan" is rumoured to be stalking the region, Colombia might need more than a sideways glance from self-absorbed neighbours in the years to come.

To convert August’s historic peace deal into a durable end to 52 years of conflict, the government and FARC rebels must redouble efforts to achieve a full cessation of hostilities, a successful plebiscite, and UN-monitored ceasefire and weapons handover process.

The Colombian government and FARC guerrillas brought nearly four years of negotiations to a close by announcing a final peace deal on 24 August. In this documentary, Crisis Group's senior Colombia analyst Kyle Johnson travels to rural areas to speak to local communities affected by the peace accord.

Events on the ground will determine whether the Havana signing was just a photo finish or the start of long-term reforms.

The comprehensive Colombia peace deal faces major challenges, including a 2 October plebiscite, disarmament and UN verification. But after four years of talks in Cuba, Colombians have passed a new landmark in the long search for an end to 52 years of armed conflict.

The Colombian government announced on 30 March the beginning of the formal phase of peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN), the second largest guerrilla group in Colombia. These talks, together with those nearing completion with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Havana, are the country’s greatest opportunity yet to end 52 years of armed conflict. But how different will this peace process be compared to the one with the FARC? What lessons can be learned from the latter, and what incentives do ELN leaders have to achieve a substantive agreement? In this Q&A, Crisis Group’s Colombia Senior Analyst Kyle Johnson explains why the history of the ELN and its horizontal political structure make it such a unique negotiating actor.

In this video, Crisis Group's former Colombia Senior Analyst Christian Voelkel explains Crisis Group's 14-year-long engagement in ending a half century of deadly conflict.