Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Colombia, ELN rebels resume talks

-

Colombia and the left-wing National Liberation Army insurgency resumed talks Tuesday aimed at reducing everyday violence on the road to a peace deal.

The two sides got back to talks in Ecuador's capital looking to end a half century of conflict as the larger FARC is doing. In November, the FARC signed a peace deal with the Colombian government after four years of talks.

Now, the ELN as it is known in Spanish returned to the table with representatives of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, at the invitation of outgoing President Rafael Correa. The first round took place in February.

"I hope that we will be able to reach agreement on a bilateral ceasefire coming our of these discussions -- from the beginning and not at the end," said Pablo Beltran, the nom de guerre of the ELN's peace negotiator, on his way in.

The government also voiced commitment to de-escalation.

The Colombian conflict erupted in 1964 when the FARC and ELN took up arms for rural land rights.

It drew in various rebel and paramilitary forces and drug gangs as well as state forces.

The conflict has left at least 260,000 people dead and displaced more than seven million, according to the authorities.

Colombia and the left-wing National Liberation Army insurgency resumed talks Tuesday aimed at reducing everyday violence on the road to a peace deal.

The two sides got back to talks in Ecuador’s capital looking to end a half century of conflict as the larger FARC is doing. In November, the FARC signed a peace deal with the Colombian government after four years of talks.

Now, the ELN as it is known in Spanish returned to the table with representatives of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, at the invitation of outgoing President Rafael Correa. The first round took place in February.

“I hope that we will be able to reach agreement on a bilateral ceasefire coming our of these discussions — from the beginning and not at the end,” said Pablo Beltran, the nom de guerre of the ELN’s peace negotiator, on his way in.

The government also voiced commitment to de-escalation.

The Colombian conflict erupted in 1964 when the FARC and ELN took up arms for rural land rights.

It drew in various rebel and paramilitary forces and drug gangs as well as state forces.

The conflict has left at least 260,000 people dead and displaced more than seven million, according to the authorities.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

World

Calling for urgent action is the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Business

The cathedral is on track to reopen on December 8 - Copyright AFP Ludovic MARINParis’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, ravaged by fire in 2019, is on...

Business

Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser speaks during the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas - Copyright AFP Mark FelixPointing to the still...

Business

Hyundai on Wednesday revealed plans to invest more than $50 billion in South Korea by 2026.