The Gustavo Petro government and the Estado Mayor Central, a dissident group of the demobilized FARC-EP guerrilla group, have reached an agreement for a 10-month bilateral ceasefire

The government and the ELN reached an agreement on the creation of three humanitarian zones to alleviate the situation of communities affected by the internal armed conflict

The Petro government suspended the bilateral ceasefire with the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), a dissident group of the FARC-EP guerilla group, in four departments after the murder of four minors by the group

The announcement was made during a public event held in Caquetá with the objective of sharing the group’s proposals for peace talks with social organizations and requesting their participation in the peace process

The Estado Mayor Central is the second irregular armed group with which the Colombian government will seek peace. The Gustavo Petro government is already in peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerilla group.

Amid an escalation in the armed conflict in the border region of Arauca, social leader and human rights defender Sonia López discusses the broader context of systemic state violence against communities