Colombia’s armed forces are prepared to confront a possible surge in rebel violence when on Sunday the unilateral truce of guerrilla group FARC comes to and end, the country’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, said Saturday.
“The armed forces, like our Army, Air Force, Navy and Police, know exactly what to do come tomorrow,” said Santos at a public event in Padilla, a village in the southwestern Cauca department traditionally hardest hit by guerrilla activity.
The FARC unilaterally called a temprary truce on November 20 — the first day of formal peacetalks with the government — that will end at midnight.
Santos recognized that most FARC units kept the ceasefire, despite government reports saying that 57 attacks were carried out by the guerrillas in the 60 days the truce lasted.
The president warned the guerrilla organization that a resumption of violence against the civilian population “will generate the total rejection” of Colombians.
“Terrorist acts are acts of cowardness because they do not confront the security forces but hurt civilian society,” Santos added.
Prominent FARC commanders in Cuba — where the peace talks are taking place — did not make public statements regarding the end of the truce.