ELN rebels said Monday they will cease military activities around Sunday’s presidential election.
“We have decided to decree a new suspension of our military operations from the start of Friday 15 to the end of Tuesday 19,” the ELN announced in a communique on Monday.
The armed group had also ceased activities in May during the first round of presidential elections.
A 200-year history lesson on the ELN’s 52-year war with Colombia’s state
Some see the election as a vote for peace or war, as the right-wing candidate and front-runny Ivan Duque has threatened to alter the peace agreements with FARC guerrillas while renegotiating terms for ongoing talks with the ELN.
His opponent, the progressive Gustavo Petro and defeated candidates like Sergio Fajardo and Humberto de la Calle have called to respect the FARC peace agreement as signed.
The ELN returned to the negotiating table with the current government last month in Havana, Cuba, after Ecuador backed out as the host. Colombia’s neighbor to the south hosted the talks since February last year.
The negotiations center on a permanent ceasefire and the ELN also demands to find a way to include citizens in participating in the peace process.
“All the government needs is the political will to bring these two agreements to fruition,” the ELN said.
The last ceasefire lasted 101 days from October 2017 to January of this year.
President Juan Manuel Santos has tried to come to a bilateral ceasefire before the first round of elections on May 27, but failed, leaving the future of the talks uncertain.
