Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos awarded Nobel Peace Prize

It feared the referendum result could lead to the Colombian conflict re-igniting, but called on the president and Farc rebel commander Timochenko to “take their share of responsibility and participate constructively in the upcoming peace talks”.

“The committee hopes that the peace prize will give him strength to succeed in this demanding task. Further, it is the committee’s hope that in the years to come, the Colombian people will reap the fruits of the reconciliation process,” said a spokeswoman.

She added that although the peace accord was rejected in the referendum, the negotiations have “brought the bloody conflict significantly closer to a peaceful solution” and Mr Santos’s “endeavours to promote peace demonstrate the spirit of Alfred Nobel’s will”.

The committee said the award was not split between the president and the Farc leader because Mr Santos was the “keeper of the process”.

The White Helmets had been tipped to win after pulling 62,000 people alive from smashed buildings in Syria, often with bombing still going on.