Calay News
The Colombian government and the ELN guerrilla have begun their third round of negotiations in Havana with the intention of reaching a ceasefire and including society in the peace process. During the inauguration of this third round, Senator María José Pizarro, representing the Colombian government, pointed out that they have “the immense responsibility of finding together a way out of this vile war” and that “the best way to contribute with solutions to the armed conflict is that we end this round with the agreement for the participation of society and the ceasefire agreement, which must have as a fundamental axis that the people do not suffer.” The head of the ELN delegation, Pablo Beltrán, also stated that they seek to achieve a ceasefire and the participation of society.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has proposed regionalizing ceasefires in order to reach an agreement before Colombia’s October regional elections. The government hopes to agree on a temporary ceasefire with vocation and depth to make it irreversible, according to government negotiator Otty Patiño. Negotiations were on the verge of breaking down due to the deadly attack perpetrated by the ELN near the Venezuelan border, which left ten soldiers dead. However, this Tuesday, Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista, alias “Gabino,” reappeared at the table and rejoined the negotiating commission.
Colombia has attempted numerous peace negotiations with armed groups, many of which have failed. In 2016, a historic pact disarmed the powerful FARC guerrillas and transformed them into a political party. The ELN guerrillas refused to take part in a bilateral truce that Petro proposed to them in the New Year. In 2018, the guerrillas initiated dialogues with the government of President Juan Manuel Santos, but his successor, Ivan Duque, put an end to this negotiation in 2019, following an attack on a police school in Bogota. Duque then reactivated arrest warrants against the armed group’s negotiators and demanded their extradition, which led former US President Donald Trump to include the country on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Senator Pizarro has expressed her hope that the peace process is irreversible and that Cuba is removed from the list as soon as possible.
