Ceasefire with guerrilla splinter group in Colombia extended
Published: Sunday, Jan 14th 2024, 22:40
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The Colombian government has extended the ceasefire with a splinter group of the former guerrilla organization Farc by six months. The state security forces and the units of the Farc dissident group Estado Mayor Central will refrain from military operations until July 15 and continue peace talks, the Colombian High Commission for Peace announced on Sunday. The previous ceasefire would have expired on Monday night.
The government and the rebel group have been negotiating a settlement to the conflict since October last year. The talks are being accompanied by the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Catholic Church, the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Ireland and Venezuela. Following the peace agreement between Colombia and the left-wing Farc in 2016, the Estado Mayor Central broke away from the country's largest rebel group at the time and remained underground. Today, the organization is primarily a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining and protection rackets.
Colombia suffered 52 years of civil war between left-wing rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and the military. 220,000 people lost their lives and millions were displaced. Although the security situation has improved following the peace agreement between the government and the Farc, parts of the South American country are still controlled by illegal groups. Peace talks are also currently underway with the guerrilla organization ELN. President Gustavo Petro has also invited other criminal gangs, rebels and paramilitaries to negotiations.
©Keystone/SDA
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