Colombia: 9 Soldiers Killed by Rebel Group in Attack on Army Base

Nine soldiers in Colombia were killed in a military base by the rebel group National Liberation Army amid shaky peace talks between the guerillas and the government.

The government said that National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels launched homemade mortar shells at the base in the municipality of El Carmen in Norte de Santander province.

According to BBC News, the attack comes amid peace talks between the government and the ELN. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro said the perpetrators were still "absolutely far from peace."

Out of the nine killed, seven were serving their mandated military service. Eight soldiers were also wounded.

The area where the attack occurred was known to be an ELN base. It was considered one of the deadliest attacks since peace negotiations resumed after a three-year hiatus.

Peace talks have started between the two sides since November, but no bilateral ceasefire has yet been agreed upon.

The government suspended last week its ceasefire agreement with Colombia's main drug trafficking cartel, which is the Gulf Clan.

Colombia's Peace Talks

After the first round of talks ended in December in Caracas, Venezuela, the second round of peace talks between the government of Colombia and ELN happened in Mexico City in February.

The ELN is the largest remaining rebel group in the country. Al Jazeera reported that tensions between the government of Colombia and the rebel group have escalated after its peace talks in December.

The Colombian government had to reverse a New Year's Eve announcement that a truce had been reached after the rebel group denied such an agreement existed.

The ELN noted at the time that a ceasefire "was merely a proposal to be considered."

Kyle Johnson, the co-founder of the Conflict Responses Foundation, said that expectations in affected parties "were sky-high."

Johnson noted that they now see doubts, with residents in militarized conflict areas asking if there is a ceasefire and why soldiers and tanks surround the community.

During his campaign, Gustavo Petro promised to move away from the militarized strategies of previous Colombia administrations, which seemed to have only worsened the violence.

He also vowed to engage all criminal groups in negotiations as stated under his plan, which he called "total peace."

Colombia Suspends Gulf Clan Ceasefire

Gustavo Petro suspended the ceasefire with Gulf Clan as he accused the group of "sowing anxiety and terror." He also ordered the security forces to reactivate their military operations against the criminal gang,

The government previously announced that it had reached a bilateral ceasefire with Gulf Clan, including ELN, and dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Pero accused Gulf Clan of breaking the ceasefire and blaming it for an attack on an aqueduct, which he claimed incited protests from informal gold miners, BBC News reported.

Head of Colombia's police force, Henry Sanabria, said more officers will be deployed in areas where the Gulf Clan has the most presence.

Gulf Clan has an extensive presence in several of Colombia's provinces. It also created international connections with other criminal organizations.

Aside from drug trafficking, the group is also involved in human trafficking and illegal gold mining.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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