In the midst of an atmosphere of uncertainty, yesterday, Thursday, the ceasefire between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army guerrilla began.
The cessation of offensive actions between the military and police forces and the insurgent group are part of the peace negotiations that resumed in August after three and a half years of freezing.
On June 9, the peacekeeping delegations announced in Havana, Cuba, the bilateral ceasefire and its schedule, which includes an initial phase called “enlistment” that will run from this Thursday until August 3, when it would enter into force. complete the agreement.
peter’s decree
For this phase, the government of President Gustavo Petro signed a decree on Wednesday night ordering the Armed Forces to cease the offensive against the guerrillas. Hours before, the leadership of the illegal armed group had issued the same order to its units.
The objective is that between Thursday and August 3, the signing of the protocols to define the monitoring and verification of this bilateral ceasefire will be completed, which, in principle, would be in force for six months.
The beginning of this agreement coincided with several acts of violence that the authorities attributed to the ELN, including the kidnapping of an Army sergeant and her two minor children. Until now, the guerrillas have not claimed responsibility for the act, but the Army held the ELN responsible for the fate of the uniformed woman and her family.
On Thursday morning, local media outlets affirmed that the ELN had taken the sergeant and her family to Venezuelan territory. In dialogue with the Blu Radio station, the head of the Colombian government’s peace delegation, Otty Patiño, stated that “I am currently receiving this information and I imagine that the necessary procedures will be carried out with the Venezuelan government so that it collaborates with this situation”.
obligation to act
Patiño assured that the Colombian military and police have the “obligation to act” to prevent kidnappings by illegal armed groups and that when they cannot do so they must “try to rescue” the victims.
The head of the peace delegation also referred to the doubts that exist about the unity between the ELN command and its troops. In this sense, Patiño affirmed that it is possible that orders such as the ceasefire are not arriving with the “speed” and “understanding” necessary to advance successfully in the peace process.
Patiño admitted that the recent violent actions of the ELN “do immense damage” to the peace process and “generate a feeling of insecurity and displeasure in the country.”
“Right now we are measuring two things: the political will of the ELN as a whole and also the leadership capacity of those who issue the orders for the ceasefire,” said the chief negotiator.
On Wednesday night, hours before the ceasefire came into force, the police station in the town of Fortul, in the department of Arauca on the border with Venezuela, received several shots. The incident was attributed to the guerrilla, which has a strong presence in this part of Colombian territory.
According to the authorities, the ELN currently has around 5,000 members and operates in various departments of the country, especially those bordering Venezuela.