Bogota, Colombia CNN —
The Colombian authorities and the National Liberation Army (ELN) – 1 of the oldest and largest guerrilla groups inactive operating successful the state – person agreed to instrumentality a bilateral, six-month ceasefire starting connected August 3.
The statement comes aft months of backstage negotiations successful Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela, and was ratified connected Friday during a ceremonial successful Havana presided implicit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel and the ELN’s main commander, known by his nom de guerre ‘Antonio García.’
Both sides besides pledged to clasp further negotiations successful Venezuela starting successful August. Cuba, Mexico, Norway, and Venezuela person acted arsenic “guarantors” for the bid talks, arsenic good arsenic the United Nations and the Colombian Catholic church.
The Colombian authorities and the ELN person been engaged successful bid negotiations since astatine slightest 2012, but the six-month ceasefire agreed connected Friday is the longest agreed upon since the guerrilla radical formed successful 1963, said the ELN’s main negotiator known by his alias ‘Pablo Beltrán.’
In January 2019, then-Colombian President Ivan Duque suspended bid talks aft the ELN killed 22 constabulary cadets successful an onslaught against the nationalist constabulary academy successful Bogota, Colombia.
Friday’s statement is antithetic from the historical 2016 bid statement betwixt the Colombian authorities and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – FARC, different guerilla radical operating successful the state since the 1960s and was dismantled successful 2017.
The ELN is inactive contiguous successful ample swathes of the Colombian countryside and operates a subject unit of respective 1000 men according to subject analysts and the Colombian subject forces.
Considered a violent enactment by the United States and the European Union, the radical is accused of being progressive successful the accumulation and trafficking of cocaine to concern its operation.
The statement comes arsenic the Petro medication wrestles with a bid of scandals. Last week, Petro’s main of unit Laura Sarabia and the Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, some resigned amid communal accusations of wiretapping.
English (US) ·