Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Colombian President Santos

Fellow nominees Syria's civil defence volunteers The White Helmets and the Greek islanders who have welcomed tens of thousands of refugees, lost out to Santos, who was commended for bringing the "bloody conflict significantly closer to a peaceful solution".

The Nobel committee announced the winner in Oslo on Friday saying it hoped the prize would encourage Santos and leader of the Farc rebels, Rodrigo Londono - also known as Timochenko - to pursue a solution despite the Colombian people rejecting a peace deal in a referendum last week.

"It is hoped in years to come the Colombian people will reap the fruits of the reconciliation process," said the Nobel committee spokeswoman.

Santos joins the likes Martin Luther King Jr, Malala Yousafzai and Mother Theresa as a Nobel laureate.

The White Helmets, who were among the favourites for their work rescuing some 60,000 people from the rubble of regime-bombed buildings in Syria, tweeted their congratulations to Santos.

AMEL, a Lebanese charity helping Syrian refugees was also nominated for the prize.

The NGO, which operates through 24 centres in Lebanon, seeks to strengthen community ties between citizens and refugees.

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes created by the Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature.