Colombia to Restart Peace Talks With ELN Rebels

The National Liberation Army (ELN) is Colombia's largest remaining armed rebel group. On Tuesday, the Colombian government announced that it will restart peace talks with these rebels that was suspended in 2018.

The Colombian government and ELN representatives both issued a statement and said the start date of the peace talks will be announced after the first week of November. According to the Associated Press, a venue for these talks has yet to be announced.

Three Guarantor Countries For Peace Talks Between ELN and Colombia Government Announced

Whenever Colombia negotiates with a rebel group, there will always be a guarantor country. According to The Guardian, for these sets of peace talks, the guarantor countries are Venezuela, Cuba, and Norway.

With no official venue for the negotiations still being agreed upon, ELN commander Antonio Garcia suggested that different stages of the talks could be held in those three countries.

Earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that the Colombian government tapped his country as one of the guarantor states for these negotiations, and he has agreed.

This was seen by many as a sign of fixing the thawing relations between Venezuela and Colombia following the election of the latter's first leftist president, Gustavo Petro.

Petro has promised a policy of "absolute peace," and several big reforms to bring rebels to the negotiating table. Petro, a former rebel fighter himself, ran with a platform committing that he will work with the rebels for peace.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the announcement, CNN reported. He urged both parties "to fully seize this opportunity to bring an end to a deadly conflict that has lasted for decades."

Who Is the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia?

One of the most infamous rebel groups in Colombia is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). However, following a peace deal in 2016, the FARC disbanded, making the ELN the remaining largest leftist guerrilla group in Colombia.

The group took its inspiration from the Cuban revolution when it was formed in the 1960s by a group of students and Catholic priests. It soon became one of the many large rebel groups operating in Colombia and funded its armed struggle via various illegal ventures, which included illegal mining operations across the country.

Like in the case of FARC, the Colombian government also tried to negotiate with the ELN. However, negotiations broke down in 2018, and the group continued its armed struggle.

For this new set of negotiations, the ELN still has not disclosed any details on what it would seek in exchange for laying down its weapons. However, Commander Garcia did hint that the group wanted some political and economic changes to happen in Colombia.

During the 2016 FARC peace deal, Colombia gave the rebel group 10 seats in the nation's congress. The government also allowed the former rebels to form their own political party.

As part of the peace deal with the FARC, the Colombian government also agreed to finance several land titling schemes and rural development projects.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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