Global Courant
Bogota Colombia
The third round of peace talks between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group came to an end on Friday with an agreement on a ceasefire, the main agenda item in Havana.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro and the ELN’s top commander, Antonio Garcia, signed the agreement after several unsuccessful attempts to reach an agreement.
When will it come into effect?
After a preparation period that will last from 9 June to 5 July, offensive operations will be stopped on 6 July. The official national ceasefire will come into effect on 3 August and will last for six months.
How far and how far to go?
The parties have completed three rounds of negotiations since January. The talks started with the second round of talks held in Mexico City in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. The third round in Havana started on 2 May. The next tour will be held in Venezuela in September.
The peace process has suffered several setbacks, including Petro’s declaration of a six-month ceasefire with the ELN and other armed groups on 31 December – a claim denied by the guerrilla group.
Who will oversee the process?
The agreement will be closely monitored and verified by delegates from the UN, the Catholic Church, guarantor countries and civil society.
What does the deal include?
Although the agreement suspends the fighting between the military forces and the ELN, it does not stop the guerrillas’ criminal acts such as extortion and kidnapping.
The ELN chief negotiator Pablo Beltran said on Friday that the guerrillas’ “financial operations” will continue “for now” and that the kidnappings, or what the ELN calls “arrests”, “will not happen unless necessary.”
The government did not comment on the issue, which sparked controversy among leaders in Colombia’s regions, who said removing these behaviors from the deal would increase criminal activity.
Petro said he plans to end the decades-long war with the ELN in May 2025.
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