Colombia’s government and ELN guerrillas announced the extension of a ceasefire that seeks to facilitate ongoing peace talks.
The six-month ceasefire was announced minutes before the end of the initial ceasefire that was agreed in August of last year.
Ceasefire with Colombia’s ELN guerrillas takes force
The latest ceasefire agreement includes an ELN promise to also extend the suspension of kidnappings.
With the ceasefire agreement, negotiators of the ELN and the administration of President Gustavo Petro ended the sixth round of peace talks.
This round, which was held in the Cuban capital Havana, resulted in no other agreements that would integrate an eventual peace deal.
Talks to end the ELN’s decades-long insurgency resumed in November of 2022 after a four-year suspension that was ordered by former President Ivan Duque.
Colombia’s decades-long efforts to make peace with ELN
According to the president, the current talks would end the armed conflict between the guerrillas and the State before the end of his term in 2026.