The ELN guerrillas announce a truce in Colombia during Christmas

the guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN)which is in peace talks with the Colombian governmentannounced this Monday that it will decree a “unilateral ceasefire” from December 24 to January 2 “to create an atmosphere of peace on these dates.”

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“The National Liberation Army remains committed to continue contributing to create an atmosphere of peace on Christmas and New Year dates, therefore, it decrees a unilateral ceasefire,” the guerrillas explained in a brief statement.

This ceasefire, which the guerrillas have decreed for the Christmas period during other peace processes, will be in effect “from 6:00 am on December 24, 2022 until 6:00 am on January 2, 2023,” according to the statement.

In any case, “said ceasefire only covers the Military Forces and the State Police,” specified a guerrilla when reading the statement on one of the ELN channels, where they assure that they reserve the right to defense “in case from being attacked.”

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the ELN has an open conflict with the paramilitary Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) or Clan del Golfo, especially in the Pacific region, where last week the guerrillas even declared a “armed strike” in the San Juan region due to the interference of this group in a territory that they control.

“True peace requires more than words,” said “Claudia Isabel M” in a video in which she reads the statement.

The guerrilla appears escorted by six other armed members of the ELN and with the red and black scarves of that guerrilla and asks that the Government also attack the paramilitary groups, which “continue at ease throughout the national territory.”

Also in Arauca, on the border with Venezuela, which is one of its strongholds, the ELN has been facing a front of FARC dissidents since the beginning of the year, a war that has left more than 300 homicides, which has positioned this department as the one with the most murders this year.

PROGRESS IN PEACE

The ELN has already decreed on other occasions, while sitting at the negotiating table, a ceasefire of these characteristics as a gesture of goodwill. The last one that occurred was one of 102 days from October 1, 2017 to January 2018.

However, it has also acted against this will, such as when on January 17, 2019, they attacked the General Santander Police Cadet School in the south of Bogotá, which left more than twenty dead and led to the definitive lifting of the police force. negotiating table.

However, a guerrilla delegation sat down again with another from the government in recent weeks in Caracas to try to reach some kind of peace agreement that ceases its activities.

On December 12, the first round of talks in the Venezuelan capital ended with a joint declaration that avoided talking about ceasefires but estimated that “humanitarian relief” would begin by the guerrillas starting in January in Valle del Cauca and It crashed and the government agreed to provide an “emergency” response to “a group of ELN political prisoners.”

The next round of negotiations will take place at the end of January in Mexico.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.