The government of Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday the security forces will resume attacks against ELN guerrillas.
The decision followed an announcement of the guerrillas in which they refused to an immediate bilateral ceasefire together with four other illegal armed groups.
Petro claimed on Saturday his government had come to an agreement with the ELN and the other groups to cease fire for at least six months.
This was false, the ELN said on Tuesday, adding that they will negotiate a bilateral ceasefire during peace talks that are set to resume later this month.
Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said that the decrees to cease fire against paramilitary organization AGC, two organizations formed by dissidents of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla group and organized crime groups would remain in place.
Prada said the government hoped the ELN would agree to a bilateral ceasefire as soon as peace talks have resumed in Mexico.
The ELN’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire with the security forces is a disaster for civilians living in guerrilla-controlled territory.
Particularly in areas where other illegal armed groups dispute the guerrillas’ territorial control, chances are relatively high for armed conflict.
The ELN announcement was also a major embarrassment of Petro and Prada, whose claim to have reached agreements with Colombia’s largest illegal armed groups turned out to be false.
The government resumed peace talks with the guerrillas and began negotiations with other illegal armed groups in an attempt to end violence that resurged after a 2016 peace deal with the FARC.
