COLOMBIA’S President Juan Manuel Santos announced a scaling-back of military operations against Marxist rebels on Sunday that stopped short of a full ceasefire.

Mr Santos made the announcement in a televised address just hours after his government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) had agreed to try to reduce the intensity of the civil war.

“It is not a bilateral ceasefire … we will not leave the Colombian people defenceless,” he said, stressing that the military would remain on alert.