Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he'll donate almost $US1 million ($A1.3 million) in Nobel Peace Prize money to the victims of Colombia's half-century conflict.
Santos made the announcement on Sunday during a visit with his family and top government officials to an impoverished town in western Colombia where dozens of people, including many children, were killed while stranded in a church during an intense battle between leftist rebels and far-right militias.
He promised the residents of Bojaya that he won't give up on securing peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia despite voters' rejection of a deal with the guerrillas in a referendum a week ago. More than 96 per cent of residents of Bojaya voted for the peace deal.
"You symbolize the suffering of the victims of 52 years of war and are at the centre of the solution to this conflict,'' a visibly moved Santos told the crowd.
"The victims have taught me that the capacity to forgive can overcome hatred and rancor.''
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Of the 81 municipalities nationwide hardest-hit by the conflict, 67 voted for the peace deal, according to the Bogota-based Peace and Reconciliation Foundation.
Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday less than a week after the peace accord was shot down in a vote that even surprised government opponents.
Polls taken before the referendum showed the "yes'' vote winning by an almost two-to-one margin after Santos and FARC leader Timochenko signed the 297-page accord in front of world leaders and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon six days earlier.
