Peace talks between Colombia’s government with a faction of guerrilla group EMC have become uncertain after the arrest of multiple unit commanders.
Tuesday’s surprise arrests came two weeks after peace negotiator Camilo Gonzalez announced the resumption of peace talks and the extension of a ceasefire with a dissident faction of the EMC.
Colombia resumes peace talks with dissident EMC faction
According to Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, the EMC representatives were detained at a military checkpoint in Cisneros, a town in the northwestern Antioquia province.
The guerrilla leaders had been traveling from the Catatumbo region in the northeast in armed cars that had been provided by the National Protection Unit to allow them safe passage to and from peace talks.
Among the detained EMC commanders was Alexander Diaz, a.k.a. “Calarca,” the alleged leader of the EMC dissidents and the commander of their Magdalena Medio Bloc.
Calarca and “Darlinson,” the political representative of the 36th Front, were immediately released after the prosecution confirmed that their arrest warrants had been suspended for the peace talks.
EMC negotiator Andrey Avendaño, who was not with his comrades, said in a video that the guerrillas had requested the suspension of their representatives’ arrest warrants on May 17.
Arrested guerrilla representatives
In an interview with Caracol Radio, Avendaño said on Wednesday that the EMC had yet to formulate an official response to the detention of their leader and the arrests of their delegates.