Negotiators trying to broker a peace deal between Colombia’s Farc rebels and government forces have said that they are near a breakthrough for ending the nearly five decade long Colombian civil war. “We’re not going to fail! This is the chance for peace”, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said following the meeting which took place last Wednesday in Havana, Cuba.

The civil war which began in the late 1950s has continued for the last five decades as the rebels, made up mostly of leftist revolutionary groups, and government forces have accused each other of human rights violations. “Let’s join efforts to achieve peace” Farc leader Timochenko said in a statement which was seen as a largely unthinkable goal a couple of years ago.

The main points that the two sides agreed to in the meeting include, 1) Investigating human rights abuses, 2) Punishing guerrillas for their involvement and 3) Offering compensation for victims.

“We are adversaries but today we advance in the same direction, the most noble direction of any society which is peace” Mr. Santos continued in his statement.

The violence that long ago spread throughout the country, mainly in the mountain regions of Colombia, has been fueled in large part by the profitable drug trade that many of the rebels participate in to fund their groups activities. Cocaine has long been the main export of the drug trade.

“On March 23rd 2016, we will be bidding farewell to the longest running conflict in the Americas” President Santo continued in his speech, referring to the date agreed upon by the rebels and government officials of attempting to end the civil war.

In a report released by the government in July 2013, the latest stats showed that 220,000 Colombians have been killed during the civil war. “The only way to end this horror is to consolidate a peace process. That’s the only way to stop it” Gonzalo Sanchez said, regarding the report released in July 2013. Mr. Sanchez is the director of the National Center of Historic Memory, a group which is dedicated to keeping the memory alive for the victims of the civil war.

According to the agreement, combatants who have participated will be covered by an amnesty granted by the president, but those who have participated in war crimes and crimes against humanity will not be granted immunity. Officials from the United States government were pleased by the announcement and encouraged the two sides to continue talking. United States Secretary of State John Kerry said that the deal represented “historic progress” between the two sides.

“God willing this will mean real peace” Sergio Montenegro said, who is a 41 year old taxi cab driver in Bogota. “It’s been 50 years of war, it has affected everyone and we are tired” Mr. Montenegro continued in his statement reflecting the frustration of the everyday Colombian and the toll that the war has taken on its citizens.

Ultimately, the breakthrough of peace is a step in the right direction however there is much work that needs to be done for a country that has been devastated by nearly five decades of civil war which has seen an extraordinary number of people suffer because of it. If a deal is reached, the possibility of an era of peaceful development is at last on the table.