Colombian govt suspends 'ceasefire' with National Liberation Army rebels after denial by group

The Colombian government said on Wednesday that the interior ministry has decided to suspend the ceasefire agreement with the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels. The announcement came a day after the guerrilla outfit denied signing a six-month ceasefire pact with the authorities.

"In view of the position publicly assumed yesterday (Tuesday)... we have decided to suspend the legal effects of the decree" which had established a bilateral truce with the ELN from January 1 to June 30, minister Alfonso Prada said in the press conference according to Reuters.

Also read | Omicron offshoot XBB.1.5 may cause new Covid spike in the US, confirms CDC

The two parties are expected to sit for negotiations once again in Mexico.

Earlier, Colombian President Gustavo Petro had announced on New Year’s Eve that the government was successful in making the five largest armed groups agree to a six-month truce. However, the statement was rejected by National Liberation Army (ELN) – the biggest group in the mix.

“The ELN Dialogue Delegation has not discussed any bilateral ceasefire with the Gustavo Petro government, therefore no such agreement exists,” the guerrilla group said in a statement.

Also read | Rishi Sunak plans to make maths mandatory for all students till the age of 18

According to official data, around 450,000 Colombians were killed while eight million were displaced due to the internal conflict plaguing the country. A peace agreement was signed between the parties in 2016 but the smaller groups have entered the fray to make the situation worse in Colombia.

“This whole fiasco demonstrates how improvised many of the government’s announcements are, declaring things without thinking them through with all the relevant stakeholders,” Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis said in an interview with The Guardian.