Colombian president awarded Nobel Peace Prize

COLOMBIAN President Juan Manuel Santos has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring an end to a more than 50-year civil war, giving momentum to peace efforts after an accord was defeated in a referendum earlier this month.

"The award should also be seen as a tribute to the Colombian people who, despite great hardships and abuses, have not given up hope of a just peace, and to all the parties who have contributed to the peace process," the Oslo-based Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement. "This tribute is paid, not least, to the representatives of the countless victims of the civil war."

The Colombian peace process was dealt a setback on Oct 2, when the people narrowly rejected an accord agreed on between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Mr Santos is now planning crisis meetings in a bid to salvage four years of peace talks aimed at ending a five-decade-old insurgency.