Colombia Government Re-Enters Peace Talks With FARC Breakaway Group Segunda Marquetalia in Venezuela

Despite previous setbacks, Colombia President Gustavo Petro has managed to restart peace talks with the FARC breakaway group known as Segunda Marquetalia. These new negotiations are slated to happen in neighboring Venezuela, with the Maduro-led country welcoming the resumption of peace talks between the government and one of Colombia's many rebel groups.

The negotiations began anew in Caracas on Sunday, with Peace Commissioner Otty Patiño and government negotiators arriving in Venezuela to meet with Ivan Marquez, one of the former commanders of the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC and one of the leaders of the "Segunda Marquetalia" guerrilla group.

According to Colombia Reports, Segunda Marquetalia is the second-largest FARC dissident group that broke away from the main rebel organization after the 2016 peace deal. It is made up of members of the FARC's former Caribbean Bloc, and Colombian security forces estimate that the group currently has some 1,200 armed members.

This is welcome news for the Petro administration after it resumed hostilities with two of the biggest rebel groups it had been trying to negotiate peace with, they being the ELS and the largest FARC breakaway group in Colombia, the EMC, as talks with these two groups recently broke down.

This may mean that President Gustavo Petro's "Total Peace" policy may not mean an absolute failure after the ELN and EMC talks broke down. Talks with the paramilitary organization EGC/AGC and Los Pachencas never materialized, while the government is also trying to have peace talks with the infamous drug cartel, the Clan del Golfo, which replaced Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel as Colombia's most powerful drug organization.

Colombia Wants Peace Deal with Segunda Marquetalia Rebels Before Gustavo Petro Leaves Office

With the EMC and ELS talks considered to have failed, the Colombian government is now working on what is still on the table, and that is with the Segunda Marquetalia rebels.

"We cannot begin from zero, it would be a historic error," said the head of the government's negotiating team, Armando Novoa, in an interview with Reuters. He added that he hopes a peace deal could be made within two years, just before President Petro leaves office.

In these peace talks, some of Segunda Marquetalia's leadership also participated in the 2016 FARC peace talks, and Novoa says this could make the deal move quicker. He added that the Colombian government is also holding separate talks with National Liberation Army rebels, and even other members of the EMC who were more willing to negotiate peace.

Venezuela Welcomes Peace Talks Between Colombia and Segunda Marquetalia Rebels

Meanwhile, the peace talks are taking place in Venezuela and e Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil issued a statement congratulating both sides for agreeing to talk, according to Venezuelan state media, TeleSur.

"Venezuelan Constitutional President Nicolas Maduro and the Bolivarian government and people express their satisfaction with the start of the peace dialogue between the government of the Republic of Colombia and the Segunda Marquetalia, a process which is part of the Total Peace Policy promoted by President Gustavo Petro," he said.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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