The Government of Colombia has taken an important step towards the search for “total peace” by declaring a three-month ceasefire with the largest group of dissidents of the defunct FARC. This decision marks the beginning of formal talks to end its participation in an internal armed conflict in the Andean country, which has lasted almost six decades.
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The ceasefire with the Central General Staff (EMC) will come into force this Tuesday, October 17, and will extend until January 15 of next year, according to the government decree. The talks began in Tibú, a town near the border with Venezuela, in an area that has been the scene of frequent clashes between the Colombian army and illegal armed groups.
The Government’s high peace commissioner, Danilo Rueda, noted that they would have a limited time to gain the trust of skeptical Colombians who question this peace-building process. Although it was not explained why the ceasefire is shorter than previously suggested, it is expected that authorities will seek to extend it beyond the current deadline.
The talks seek partial and immediate solutions that help local communities and pave the way to peace. The EMC, which split from the demobilized FARC in 2016, has around 3,530 members, including some 2,180 combatants, and operates in regions affected by drug trafficking and illegal mining.
President Gustavo Petro seeks “total peace” with various armed groups after decades of internal conflict. In addition to negotiations with the EMC, the Executive is in peace talks with other armed groups such as the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The second peace process begins in Colombia after the process with the ELN: the process with the EMC, Central General Staff.
The cessation of the war and the suspension of hostilities against the civilian population throughout the country begins. https://t.co/y2Hf84sQ7Z
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 16, 2023
The suspension of arrest warrants facilitated peace dialogue
Colombia’s attorney general took an important step in pursuit of peace in the country by suspending arrest warrants for more than 20 members of the EMC in early March, allowing them to participate in a dialogue process.
These EMC members had completely rejected the talks that led to the FARC peace agreement in 2016. At the same time, the founders of a second dissident group, known as Segunda Marquetalia, had also rejected the agreement three years after it was signed. . They argued that the State had not fulfilled its promises.
The Colombian government, in its search for peace, is in peace talks with another armed group National Liberation Army (ELN). Both sides have agreed to a bilateral ceasefire as part of their efforts to seek peaceful solutions.
The suspension of arrest warrants for members of the EMC was a step that sought to facilitate the dialogue process and contribute to stability in Colombia. While tensions and challenges persist, this step represents progress on the path to peace in Colombia. The hope is that these conversations will lead to timely and viable solutions for all of Colombian society.
Victims of armed violence in Colombia
A group of around 1,400 indigenous people residing in the Awá El Sande reserve, located in Colombia, has been forced to leave their homes due to clashes between armed factions.
These confrontations have arisen as a result of clashes between the Franco Benavides Front, which is part of the EMC, and the Comuneros del Sur Front, a branch of the ELN.
The fighting has plunged the population into a delicate condition, with some indigenous people being injured as a result of the violence. The displaced have sought refuge, however, in other locations, several families have been forced to confine themselves to their homes.
Displaced people have called for humanitarian assistance, requesting food and hygiene products. In addition, they have urged the High Commissioner for Peace, Danilo Rueda, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene in the region to mediate between armed groups and allow the safe return of civilians to their homes.
Although both the FARC and ELN dissident groups are in talks with the Colombian government and have established a ceasefire with the military forces, unfortunately this cessation does not apply to clashes between the armed groups themselves, which represents a constant threat to the civilian population that is trapped in the middle of these conflicts.
With Reuters, AP, EFE and local media
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