Colombia Peace Talks: Mexico To Be Next Host for Next Round Between Government and ELN Rebels

Colombia has now completed the first round of peace talks between the Gustavo Petro government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels in Caracas, Venezuela. Now, they have announced that the second round of negotiations will be happening in Mexico.

According to the Associated Press, this comes after the two sides held three weeks of negotiations in Venezuela that only yielded modest results.

The peace talks between the two sides were suspended in 2019 when ELN rebels broke a peace deal when they attacked a police academy in Bogota and killed 23 people. However, President Gustavo Petro, who wants to bring "total peace" to Colombia following decades of rebellion, restarted these peace talks.

Colombia and ELN Rebels Agree to Humanitarian Relief in War-torn Areas

During the Caracas Peace Talks, the two sides managed to agree on a few things. This includes the Colombian government agreeing to provide humanitarian relief to rebel fighters in Colombian prisons.

The two sides also agreed to provide the villages hit the hardest by the conflict some much-needed relief. Reuters reported that these include areas in the provinces of Choco and Valle del Cauca. However, the two sides did not give any further details on which particular villages will receive that humanitarian aid.

The Caracas Peace Talks, however, did not yield a ceasefire agreement between the two sides, according to The Toronto Star. However, ELN Chief Negotiator Pablo Beltran stated that he hopes that they could finally agree upon a ceasefire when the peace talks resume in Mexico next month.

The armed conflict between Colombia and various rebel groups has lasted for almost six decades, and it has already left at least 450,000 people dead. The ELN is the last remaining communist rebel group after the FARC rebels surrendered.

In addition, the ELN side also announced that they have already released around 20 of their kidnapping victims. It is widely known that the rebel group funds itself through various illegal activities, including kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking, as well as illegal mining operations.

When asked how many of the people they have kidnapped are still being held, Beltran did not answer.

Colombia Trying to Negotiate Peace With ELN Since 2017

The ELN has been operating in Colombia and Venezuela. They have approximately 4,000 troops as they run kidnapping, drug trafficking, and illegal mining operations within those two countries. The group has also been accused of working with the Venezuelan government to root out dissent near the Colombian border.

Founded in 1964 at the height of the Cold War, the ELN fought against the Colombian government for decades. However, the Juan Manuel Santos administration tried to end the conflict and engaged the rebels in peace talks in 2017. However, the peace talks were halted by the next president, Ivan Duque, when the group killed 22 cadets at a military academy.

The group remains listed as a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Colombia begins peace talks with ELN rebels; President Petro promises to bring 'total peace' | WION