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 cessation of offensive operations was agreed upon in June during the third round of peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the ELN in Havana, Cuba. It comes ahead of a 180-day truce that will take effect on August 3

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

According to INDEPAZ, between April 1 and 11, ten people were killed in three massacres, eleven social leaders were assassinated and one ex-combatant was killed in different departments of Colombia

The ceasefire is set to last from December 24 until January 2, 2023 “to create an atmosphere of peace” over Christmas and New Year. The announcement comes just days after the conclusion of the first round of peace talks between the ELN and the Colombian government

The rights organization INDEPAZ noted that the armed groups had expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue with President Gustavo Petro and to accept legal benefits in exchange for peace

Four years after the peace talks were suspended, the Colombian government and the guerilla group ELN are set to begin in Caracas on Monday, November 21. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will be the guarantor for the talks

Rodrigo Granda was sentenced to 70 months in prison on charges of rebellion in April 2006. He was known as the Foreign Minister of FARC and is now a member in the national board of the Comunes party

According to the Institute of Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ), 20 citizens were murdered in six massacres in the past 10 days. Five social leaders and five ex-combatants were also assassinated in the same period

According to INDEPAZ, so far in 2022, 99 social activists and 22 ex-combatants were assassinated in Colombia, in addition to over 180 people killed in 51 massacres

Zoe Alexandra of Peoples Dispatch talks about the results of the first round of the Colombian elections and the upcoming contest between Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernández in the run-off