The Colombian government and the leftist guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), are likely to announce a bilateral ceasefire on Friday, June 9.
Through a joint statement, on Thursday morning, June 8, the delegations of the Gustavo Petro government and the ELN reported that the closing ceremony of the third round of peace talks between the parties, which was scheduled for Thursday, would now be held on Friday. This round of talks began in Havana, Cuba, on May 2. The delegations also reported that they were finalizing the documents and protocols of the agreements that would be signed tomorrow.
“We have requested one more day from the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro Urrego, and the First Commander of the ELN, Antonio García, to hold the closing event of the third round of the Peace Negotiating Table, in order to finalize details of the texts of the Cuba Agreements and their respective protocols,” said the delegations.
On Wednesday, June 7, during the national day of mobilizations in support of the labor, pension, and healthcare reforms proposed by the national government, President Petro said that he would travel to Cuba on Thursday to participate in the closing of the third round of peace talks.
“I am going to Cuba, I am going to do something that could be very important for Colombia. I am going to sign a paper that could mean the beginning without retreat of an era of peace for this country. It is going to be difficult, we all know it, making peace is more difficult than making war,” said Petro during the march in the capital Bogotá.
On Thursday afternoon, President Petro confirmed that he would fly to Havana in the next few hours to attend the closing ceremony.
An agreement on a bilateral ceasefire was among the central themes of the current round of talks. Despite the tensions last month due to remarks by Petro in which he questioned the power of the ELN delegation, both parties resumed talks, reiterating their commitment to achieve peace in Colombia.
Danilo Rueda, the High Commissioner for Peace, told El País from Havana, “ It is the first time that the ELN is willing to agree to a six-month bilateral ceasefire. This has never been achieved before in a peace process with this guerrilla. We are making significant progress.”
On May 13, Petro called on the ELN to agree to a ceasefire in one of the regions of the country and then gradually expand it to the rest of the country as peace negotiations proceed.
On June 5, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa suspended the arrest warrant against Antonio García. The suspension was requested by President Petro to facilitate an agreement on ceasefire with the purpose of achieving true and lasting peace in the country.
On Friday, after 38 days of talks in this third meeting, the Petro government and the ELN are likely to sign a historic agreement on the long-awaited bilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.
The ELN is Colombia’s largest active guerilla group. It has around 2,400 combatants, present in 22 out of the 32 departments. The beginning of a ceasefire with the group will mark a new chapter in the history of the country, which has been affected by violence for more than six decades of internal armed conflict.
