2024-08-04 23:30:11
The bilateral ceasefire between the government of Gustavo Petro and the National Liberation Army (ELN) ended on August 3 without an extension being agreed upon, which poses risks for the continuity of the peace process. Although both parties had shown a willingness to maintain the measure, an agreement to extend the ceasefire was not reached.
From the National Government, the negotiating team, led by Senator Iván Cepeda and chief negotiator Vera Grabe, had expressed their intention to seek a “technical extension” of the agreement. However, the ELN presented an additional condition for accepting the extension: demanding the exclusion of their group from the list of Organized Armed Groups (GAOs) and the recognition of their political character.
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This requirement has created uncertainty in a peace process that was already facing difficulties. In recent months, the ELN suspended its participation in the negotiations after considering it disrespectful that the government started dialogues with the Frente Comuneros del Sur, a dissident group that operates in Nariño. The guerrilla group also accused the national government of failing to comply with previously established agreements, which has contributed to the stagnation of the dialogue. “It is simply a matter of complying with the agreements that we have pointed out as non-compliance on the part of the government,” the ELN indicated in a statement.
The bilateral ceasefire agreed in August 2023 had been one of the longest since talks began in November 2022. The expiration of the agreement and the lack of an extension have led several sectors to ask the government to reevaluate its strategy with the ELN. José Felix Lafaurie, president of the Colombian Federation of Cattle Ranchers, expressed his support for a pause in negotiations. “I am in favor of making a stop along the way in negotiations with the ELN. It is necessary to speak with them honestly, very honestly,” he said in X.
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For his part, Juan Camilo Restrepo, former leader of the peace delegation in the government of Juan Manuel Santos, warned about the risks of accepting the ELN’s request. “If the Petro government falls into the trap of excluding the ELN from this list of GAO groups, it would be opening the door to qualifying the ‘state of belligerence’, which would be very serious for Colombia,” said Restrepo.