The Government of Colombia and the ELN resume peace negotiations in Venezuela

The government of Colombia and the guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN) resume this Monday in the capital of Venezuela the peace negotiations, suspended in 2019 by the then president, Iván Duque.

On Saturday they confirmed that the first meeting will be held “in the afternoon” on November 21 in Caracas.

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“The parties are aware of the deep desire of the Colombian people, society and the nation to advance in a peace process and full construction of democracy,” outlined in a statement released by the office of the high commissioner for peace, Danilo Rueda.

On October 4, delegates from the government of Gustavo Petro and the THE N agreed to re-establish the dialogue process after a meeting in Caracasin a decision that seeks to resume the agreements reached in March 2016.

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The meetings will be in “rotating venues” between the countries that guarantee the process: VenezuelaCuba and Norway, Antonio García, ELN commander, said on that occasion.

Petrofirst left-wing president of Colombia and former guerrilla, reactivated contacts with the THE N after assuming power on August 7, with an eye on resuming negotiations, interrupted in 2019 by the government of Iván Duque after an attack on a police school that left 22 dead, in addition to the attacker.

The ELN delegates were hosted for four years in Cuba.

“Complete peace”

The ELN is the last recognized guerrilla in Colombia. Founded in 1964 by unionists and students sympathetic to Ernesto “Che” Guevara and the Cuban revolution, the organization has held unsuccessful negotiations with the last five Colombian presidents.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a peace agreement in 2016 and became a political party.

After the suspension of the dialogues, the THE N It increased its foot force from 1,800 to 2,500 members, according to official estimates, with the energy infrastructure and transnationals in Colombia as the main “military objectives.”

Although García heads the governing body known as the Central Command, the organization has a federated structure with its own spokesperson on each front, which according to experts makes negotiations difficult.

With presence on the border with Venezuelathe ELN has less firepower than the disbanded FARC had, but its social base, made up of militiamen, is broader and more diverse, according to researchers.

The government of President Nicolás Maduro has expressed “its strongest commitment to the total peace process in Colombia.”

The administration of PetroFor his part, he has promised to move towards a “total peace” process in Colombia.

Source: Elcomercio

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