FARC, the Colombian Marxist guerrilla organization which has been at odds with the state since 1964, has announced that it will extend a unilateral ceasefire they declared one month ago. The ceasefire had been set to expire on Thursday.

As reported by the BBC, a FARC negotiator in Havana, the Cuban capital where peace talks between Colombia and the rebels have been talking place since 2012, said the militants wanted to create "the right political climate" for the negotiations.

There was no set time limit suggested for their ceasefire this time around. FARC negotiator Carlos Antonio Lozada did however suggest a kind of quid pro quo with Colombia, saying that his group "demanded a similar attitude on the government's side so that the de-escalation of the conflict can be consolidated."

In July, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ordered bombing raids on rebel camps to be suspended. Despite this effort, his administration has so far refused to commence an official bilateral ceasefire, arguing that FARC had used previous peace talks as a time to re-arm and reorganize their strategies.

Half a century of tension between Colombia and FARC has resulted in the deaths 200,000 people.

Aside from pushing for an extension of their ceasefire, the leftist group is also pursuing a peaceful path by seeking the religious council of Pope Francis. According to the Catholic Herald, FARC representatives have requested to meet Francis in Cuba when he visits later this month.

Ivan Marquez, speaking for FARC, recently told reporters that his group wanted to give a heartfelt greeting to Pope Francis and hoped for the opportunity meet.

Father Ciro Benedettini, the assistant director of the Vatican press office, responded to FARC publicly.

“Obviously, the Pope is happy to work for peace,” said the official, but the meeting was unlikely, as the Pontiff would likely be looking for a more “opportune time” to express his support for the Colombia peace negotiations.