The FARC and the ELN have annouced their confrontations with one another in the eastern department of Arauca are over, the FARC announced Tuesday.
After a meeting in Arauca in an environment of “openness and comraderie,” the release states the groups decided their conflict was “absurd” considering they were “sister organizations.” They are attempting to find solutions to their differences to ensure they do not begin confrontations again in the future. According to the statement, both groups also accept the agreement between the national portions of the two guerrilla organizations that was first made last December.
“We are self-critical in recognizing that the damage and effects we have caused the population are painful, and we regret the consequences,” the FARC statement said.
It goes on to say that the FARC believes the agreement between the two guerrilla organizations will be valuable in their efforts in Arauca and as well as all over Colombia.
According to military authorities, the FARC and the ELN are the biggest active guerrilla groups in Colombia, with 8,000 and 1,500 combatants, respectively.