The 2 sides have actually consented to extend a landmark offer struck in August in 2015 that ended recently.
Colombia has actually concurred with The National Liberation Army (ELN) to extend a landmark truce offer that ended recently.
The federal government in Caracas stated on Tuesday that it has actually concurred with Colombia’s biggest staying armed rebel group to extend the suspension of dispute by 6 months. The offer uses more hope of an end to years of violence.
President Gustavo Petro checked in August in 2015 a handle ELN for a 180-day stop in battling following prolonged settlements. The truce was extended by 5 days after it ended recently.
The celebrations launched different declarations early on Tuesday revealing a more six-month extension.
PRÓRROGA DEL CESE AL FUEGO BILATERAL, NACIONAL Y TEMPORAL
Hemos acordado prorrogar a partir de las 00:00 horas del día 6 de febrero de 2024, por ciento ochenta (180) días, el Cese al Fuego Bilateral, Nacional y Temporal (CFBNT).
pic.twitter.com/7ELXbEkOR5— Delegación ELN (@DelegacionEln) February 6, 2024
Translation: EXTENSION OF THE BILATERAL, NATIONAL AND TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE
We have actually consented to extend, beginning at 00:00 [05:00 GMT] on February 6, 2024, for one hundred and eighty (180) days, the Bilateral, National and Temporary Ceasefire (CFBNT).
Federal government assistance to change kidnapping?
Colombia has actually suffered over half a century of dispute in between the federal government and numerous left- and conservative armed groups, along with drug traffickers.
ELN began in 1964 as a leftist ideological motion by trainees, union leaders and priests motivated by Cuba’s transformation. It is thought to have about 4,000 fighters in Colombia, and is likewise present in Venezuela, where it runs prohibited cash cow and drug trafficking paths.
It is likewise understood for staging kidnappings for ransom and attacks on oil facilities. The United States and the European Union have actually noted it as a “terrorist” organisation.
Under the offer, ELN consented to suspend kidnapping, leading it to ask the federal government for financial backing to change lost income.
The armed group stated it will “unilaterally and momentarily suspend financial detentions, a dedication that will be followed up by the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism”.
Long roadway to truce
In 2016, a peace contract dissolved the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, referred to as FARC. That made ELN the nation’s biggest staying rebel group. It has actually given that increased its activities in areas previously under FARC control.
In 2019, peace talks with ELN were cancelled by conservative previous President Ivan Duque after a vehicle bomb attack on a cops academy in Bogota that eliminated 22 individuals.
Talks in between Bogota and the ELN were relaunched in November 2022 in neighbouring Venezuela. Numerous rounds of peace talks have actually followed, with the procedure supported by Mexico, Norway, Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil and Chile as guarantors.
Source
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Al Jazeera and news firms