How Colombia reached a peace deal

The peace accord announced Wednesday between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, will end the Western Hemisphere's longest-running armed conflict.

The civil war had been raging for 50 years, so it's little surprise that it took years of negotiations to finally bring it to a halt.

5 decades, 220,000 deaths later, Colombia says it has a deal

"It just takes a long time because the starting positions are so distant," said Adam Isacson, who has studied Colombia for nearly 20 years for the Washington Office on Latin America.

Here's a look at some key moments in the complicated negotiations:

October 2010: Colombian President Juan Manual Santos establishes a secret line of communication with a businessman who is a childhood friend of a FARC leader.

January 2011: Maximum FARC leader Alfonso Cano gives permission for secret peace talks to commence with the Colombian government.

December 2011: Shortly after Cano's death of Cano, retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro sends a Colombian emissary to meet with Cano's successor. During a three-day meeting, the FARC's new maximum leader, Timoleón Jiménez, indicates they would pursue peace talks.

January 2012: Members of Colombia's demobilization program and FARC leaders meet for the first time in a rural area in northeastern Colombia. They hold another meeting in Venezuela shortly afterward.

Feb. 23, 2012: Representatives from the Colombian government and the FARC hold "informal" meetings in Havana.

June 20, 2012: Colombia's Congress approves a "Peace Framework Law," which creates a broad pathway for armed guerillas to join peace talks.

Aug. 26, 2012: Both sides hold a secret meeting in Havana, where they are joined by facilitators from Norway. The two sides sign an agreement outlining the peace talks.

Aug. 27, 2012: After news of the secret talks leak to the press, Santos issues a brief statement confirming the negotiations.

Aug. 28, 2012: World leaders respond to the discussions. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, "In any kind of a conflict, one always hopes that there's a moment when one can get to the peace table."

Nov. 6, 2012: Both sides meet in Havana during first round of official negotiations.

Dec. 2, 2012: As FARC leaders continue calling for a cease-fire as the peace talks progress, Colombia's government bombs a series of FARC camps, killing 20 insurgents.

March 5, 2013: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who privately encouraged FARC leaders to negotiate, dies.

May 26, 2013: After a ninth round of talks in Havana, both sides announce an agreement on the first of five negotiating points: property restitution and rural development.

May 27, 2013: U.S. Vice President Biden visits Colombia and praises progress of peace talks.

Sept. 27, 2013: U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson travels to Havana to meet with members of the FARC to negotiate the release of Kevin Sutay, a former Marine who was kidnapped as he backpacked alone through the jungles of southern Colombia.

Oct. 27, 2013: The FARC releases Sutay.

Nov. 6, 2013: After a 16th round of talks in Havana, both sides announce an agreement on the second of five negotiating points: future political participation by FARC members.

Dec. 3, 2013: Santos visits Washington and meets with President Obama, who praises the peace talks.

May 16, 2015: Both sides announce an agreement on the third of five negotiating points: eliminating the illegal drug trade in Colombia.

June 15, 2014: Santos narrowly wins re-election in a race viewed as a referendum on the peace talks.

Aug. 22, 2014: Negotiators announce the creation of the Historical Commission on the Conflict and its Victims, the first "truth commission" in Colombia that will explore the history of the conflict.

Dec. 15, 2015: The two sides agree on the fourth of five negotiating points: creating a tribunal to judge war crimes and provide restitution to victims.

June 23, 2016: Both sides announce agreement on the final negotiating point: how to disarm and demobilize members of the FARC.

July 18, 2016: Colombia's top court approves a nationwide referendum for voters to decide whether to accept the peace deal.

Aug. 24, 2016: Colombia's government and FARC leaders announce they've reached a deal to end their war.

Source: USA TODAY research and the Washington Office on Latin America