Colombia: Petro signed a 180-day ceasefire agreed with the ELN | The measure decreed by the president is in effect from next August 3

2023-07-07 05:01:00

Colombian President Gustavo Petro signed a decree ordering a 180-day bilateral ceasefire from next August 3 with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas, agreed last month in the third cycle of negotiations for peace, celebrated in Cuba. The agreement will be in force until January 29, 2024.

The decree states that “the suspension of military operations and offensive police operations will be done without prejudice to compliance with the function and constitutional and legal obligation of the public force to preserve the integrity of the national territory.”

The monitoring and verification of the ceasefire will be carried out through a mechanism that includes the public forces themselves and the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, the ELN, the Episcopal Conference and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia.

According to the decree, the objective of this measure is to improve the humanitarian situation in conflict zones so that “the civilian population can exercise their rights and freedoms, with emphasis on the most vulnerable, including social and environmental leaders, ethnic groups, women, human rights defenders and minors”.

For this purpose, Petro also ordered in the decree the “suspension of the offensive operations of the public force” starting at zero hours on Thursday “against the members of the ELN who participate in the peace process.”