Farc rebels in Colombia have announced they will pay reparations to victims of the 52-year conflict ahead of a referendum on a peace deal between the insurgents and the government, the BBC reported.

The Farc said it was declaring its assets - thought to include land as well as mining and transport investments - in a totally open manner.

The last of the major Cold War conflicts killed 260,000 people.

It left more than six million people internally displaced.

On Monday, at the signing of a historic agreement between the rebels and the government, rebel leader Timoleon Jimenez, known as Timochenko, apologised to "all the victims of the conflict".

But the guerrillas have up until now insisted they did not have the cash to pay compensation because all their financial resources were devoted to the war effort.

People in Colombia will vote later on whether to accept the terms of the historic peace deal before it can pass into law.

Source: MENA