Peace talks between the Colombian government and ELN forces resume

The Colombian government will meet with the peace delegation of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Caracas, Venezuela, to try to resume stalled talks.

Colombia's peace delegation will meet ELN soldiers in Caracas, Venezuela, in an effort to resume talks that were suspended two months ago. (Source: Colombian government peace delegation/ colombiaone)

On November 2, representatives of the National Liberation Army (ELN) arrived in Caracas to meet with the Colombian Government, aiming to resume peace negotiations that have been stalled since late May.

The ELN statement said it will attend a meeting with representatives of the Colombian Government scheduled for this weekend “in an effort to review and analyze” the situation in Colombia, as well as “the crisis elements in the current dialogue and begin to look for solutions”, allowing progress to be made in “building a political solution to the conflict”.

The ELN armed forces stressed their agreement to hold the meeting at the request of many sectors of Colombian society, affirming that a solution between the parties can only be achieved when the causes of the conflict are resolved with the necessary transformations, to overcome the armed conflict as expressed in the Mexico Agreement signed in March 2023.

On November 1, the government of President Gustavo Petro announced a trip to Venezuela. Earlier, in May, the Colombian government and the ELN announced the signing of an agreement on popular participation in peacebuilding, the first of six points on the agenda.

However, the negotiations faced a crisis when the ceasefire that ended on August 3 was not extended after the ELN attacked an army base in Arauca province, killing three soldiers and injuring 30. As the ceasefire was no longer in effect, attacks between the Colombian army and ELN members continued, making the peace talks difficult.

The Colombian government and ELN are trying to negotiate to end the armed conflict that has lasted more than six decades in this South American country.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/noi-lai-hoa-dam-giua-chinh-phu-colombia-va-luc-luong-eln-292433.html