Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, the ELN, agreed to suspend kidnapping people for profit in ongoing peace talks with the government.
The agreement that was announced in Mexico comes days after guerrilla group EMC announced to end its kidnapping practices.
Colombia’s EMC guerrillas vow to end kidnapping
The announcement was made by Vera Grabe, the government’s new lead negotiator in the peace talks, who also said the ELN agreed to extend a six-month bilateral ceasefire that would expire in February.
I am proud to give Colombia good news in days as sensitive as those at the end of the year. We have reached this point with results. Some of them are the suspension of retention for economic purposes -as the ELN calls it, the Government calls it differently-, the extension of the ceasefire and the provision of information on the people who are in captivity.
Peace negotiator Vera Grabe
Ombudsman Carlos Camargo last week asked the ELN and the EMC how many people they were holding hostage.
Camargo told press that illegal armed groups were holding 91 people hostage.
Colombia’s illegal armed groups holding 91 people hostage: ombudsman
In a significant number of cases, authorities don’t know who is behind the extortion targeting the families of kidnapping victims.
The recent ceasefire and kidnapping agreements are two of many that are meant to secure successful peace talks and the end of the ELN’s decades-long armed struggle.
President Gustavo Petro made negotiations to demobilize and disarm leftist guerrilla groups one of his administration’s top priorities.
In order to achieve this, the President has appointed multiple negotiators to talk to groups like the ELN and the EMC.
As part of the government’s “Total Peace” policy, government negotiators have also opened talks with imprisoned gang leaders in cities like Buenaventura and Medellin.
