The Colombian peace process is in crisis

In Colombia, the armed rebel organization Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) reported that peace talks with the government fell into crisis when Colombian President Gustavo Petro questioned the unity of the organization within himself.

The ELN statement indicated that the peace negotiations should not be influenced by public criticism of the President. The statement highlighted that Petrov’s questioning of the unity within the organization put the peace talks in crisis and the importance of the government’s clear speech to be consistent with the entire world.

In the government statement it was indicated that the peace process is “important for the cessation of armed actions in the regions” and that both the government and the ELN must take responsibility for armed conflicts.

President Petro questioned the unity of the ELN within himself and ordered the country’s army “to combat activities such as drug trafficking that finance illegal armed organizations.”

THEY RETURNED TO THE NEGOTIATION TABLE AFTER 3 YEARS

The Colombian government and the ELN, meeting in the capital Caracas, under the guarantor and host of Venezuela, resumed peace talks on November 22, 2022, which were suspended in 2019. In the first round of talks, it was not possible to reach an agreement. a ceasefire on December 13, 2022, but a decision was made to improve humanitarian aid and conditions for ELN militants imprisoned in some regions.

The second round of peace talks, which began in Mexico on February 14, concluded with the recognition of the “political status of the ELN.”

The third round of peace talks between the government and the ELN began on May 2, hosted by Cuba.

Leftist Gustavo Petro, who won Colombia’s presidential election and took office on August 7, 2022, has vowed to implement the 2016 Peace Agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and hold peace talks with the ELN when it arrives. turn on.

Colombia began negotiations with the ELN, which were interrupted many times under former President Juan Manuel Santos. The negotiations had moved to Havana after Ecuador withdrew from the guarantor and host.

According to experts, previous attempts at negotiations between the Colombian government and the ELN, which has more than 2,000 members and is estimated to finance it through methods such as drug trafficking, illegal mining and kidnapping, could not advance due to the diffuse division. of power and radical attitudes within the organization.

Negotiations were suspended by then-President Iván Duque after the organization’s attack on a police school in 2019 that killed 22 people. (AA)