Colombia's government and the country's main rebel group plan to resume peace talks later this month in Norway's capital, Oslo.

Norwegian officials said Thursday the two sides will hold a press conference on October 17 to announce a resumption of the talks.

In August, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said negotiations between his government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC, must lead to a peace deal that ends nearly five decades of war.

The last negotiations between the government and FARC collapsed in 2002, as the guerillas increased their ranks and turned to drug trafficking.

FARC has carried out many attacks on security forces and political kidnappings in its battle against the government, which began in 1964.

The group has suffered major defeats since the start of a U.S.-backed military effort in 2000. It has recently engaged in a number of hit-and-run attacks against oil and coal mining facilities.