The dialogue tables for peace between the Government of Colombia and the self-proclaimed Central General Staff, a dissident of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), would be resumed after a ten-day suspension. This was stated this Wednesday, November 15, by the Government delegation for the peace process. The resumption of the dialogue tables will coincide with the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Peace Agreement, on November 24, 2016.
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New hope for ‘Total Peace’ in Colombia. After a unilateral suspension of the dialogue process, which lasted ten days, the head of the Government delegation for the peace process, Camilo González Posso, confirmed this Wednesday, November 15, that the dialogue tables are resumed with the self-proclaimed General Staff. Central (EMC).
González explained that they have made progress, so far, in making a package of protocols and agreements for the respect of the civilian population. “There are 21 commitments based on humanitarian law to protect life in all its forms, which includes not recruiting children,” he reported.
“After two weeks of the suspension or recess decreed by the FARC Central General Staff to carry out their consultations and reorganizations, we are going to resume the scheduled meetings, particularly a new cycle,” announced the Government’s chief negotiator Camilo… pic.twitter.com/f7KVDII7vn
— BluRadio Colombia (@BluRadioCo) November 15, 2023
With the resumption of dialogue, he said, it is expected that other issues regarding participation in the tables will be addressed and the agenda will be determined to outline the roadmap. “So that, between the next round and the end of the year, there is a structured compendium for the process,” she clarified.
He announced that the new round of talks coincides with the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Peace Accords, on November 24, 2016. “It will be a tribute to those who have worked on this path for peace,” he added.
Dialogue in crisis, why did the FARC dissidents suspend the dialogue?
On November 5, the FARC dissidents announced the unilateral suspension of the peace process, in order to carry out “consultations” and reorganize. The dialogue tables were going through a crisis that could even have led to a definitive break between the Government and the extinct guerrilla.
In a statement, the armed group warned of “constant breaches of the agreements” that both parties designed and “the lack of seriousness on the part of the national government in compliance with the protocols, commitments signed and approved at the Table.”
They considered that the “militarist vision” continues to be privileged over social intervention. “The military should leave the areas as was the commitment, however, the response has been to increase the force by taking over all the spaces,” they rejected then. This, after the presence of the military in the town of El Plateado, in Cauca, which is, according to local media, “the greatest point of tension between the parties (military and dissidents).”
However, they clarified that the group maintains its commitment to a ceasefire, an agreement they reached in October and is in force until January 2024.
They then explained that it would only be possible to resume negotiations with the existence of a document signed by the State, in which it committed to respect the points reached so far during the dialogue. This negotiating table was established on October 16.
At the same time, the Government continues with talks to reach peace with the National Liberation Army (ELN), which was also at a critical point due to the kidnapping and subsequent release of the parents of Colombian soccer player Luis Díaz.
The Government has been clear that its objective is to achieve ‘Total Peace with Social and Environmental Justice’, a goal that the FARC dissidents and the ELN armed group say they share, but that has not yet been crystallized in the negotiations.
With local media
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