THOUSANDS of people sang and danced in the streets here yesterday, as Guatemalan government and rebel leaders were ended 36 years of civil war by signing a peace agreement.
The region's longest conflict, in which an estimated 150,000 people died and 50,000 disappeared ended formally at 11.41 p.m. Irish time when the rebel chiefs signed an overall peace treaty with the conservative government of President Alvaro Arzu. The agreement is the fruit of five years of negotiations.
More than 10,000 people celebrated the treaty signing by spending all night outdoors, singing and dancing.
The chiefs of three of the four left wing rebel groups comprising the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) and a high level official of the fourth arrived on Saturday. They were met by a multitude of URNG sympathisers, union members and reporters.
An indigenous activist and 1992 Nobel Peace prizewinner, Ms Rigoberta Menchu, was among those to greet the guerrillas, saying their arrival was "an important moment, full of emotion". But Guatemalans remained somewhat sceptical of the agreement, she said. "It's logical, because Guatemalans have lived 36 years of hopelessness, repression, massacres and unfulfilled promises to better their deteriorating living conditions."
The URNG delegation was composed of four rebel commanders, Mr Rolando Moran, Mr Carlos Gonzalez, Mr Pablo Monsanto and Mr Jose Rosal. Mr Monsanto said the rebel leaders "came for pence, which we will build together". Mr Moran said the leaders were deeply moved and would "continue to fight for the people, legally and within the norms set by the pence agreement".
Under the terms of the accord, the URNG will become a political party. The text also recognises the "inalienable right" of Guatemalan society to discover the truth about violations of human rights.
International organisations will give the fledgling party some $105 million, a URNG member said. The Inter American Development Bank is expected to sign agreements today for $92.3 million in social and community developments programmes, according to a statement from the Guatemalan President's office.
To facilitate the transformation of the rebel movement into a political party, political crimes and crimes of common law linked to the armed conflict will be the object of an amnesty. But the amnesty will not apply to crimes relating to human rights abuses and others covered by a statute of limitations.
Also under the agreement 3,000 armed guerrillas will be demobilised and stationed in camps. Another 6,000 men, who were part of URNG logistics, will also be demobilised.
The government and the URNG signed a ceasefire in Oslo on December 4th and another agreement on December 7th in Stockholm on, constitutional reforms.
The Central American country has a population of 10 million.