Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos just won the Nobel Peace Prize

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize early Friday morning.

The announcement comes as surprise after a referendum in Colombia Sunday failed to ratify Santos' peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia — aka Farc — rebel leaders: A meager 0.4% majority voted against it.

The peace deal, which was negotiated over four years by the government and Farc, would have formally brought an end to the country's ongoing civil war.

PHOTOS: See the Colombian president

The award was given to Santos "for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on its website.

"The award should also be seen as a tribute to the Colombian people who, despite great hardships and abuses, have not given up hope of a just peace, and to all the parties who have contributed to the peace process," it added.

During the announcement in Oslo, Norway, a Nobel committee spokeswoman refuted the suggestion awarding the prize to Santos was disrespectful of Colombian democracy, given the people's decision to vote against the peace deal.

"The people of Colombia did not say, 'no' to peace," she explained. "They said, 'no' to this particular deal ... This is extremely important to avoid that a civil war flares up again."

She refused to comment on whether the committee considered Farc leaders to be joint recipients of the Peace Prize.

The announcement can be watched here:

This story is breaking and will be updated.