BOGOTA.- The ELN guerrilla declared the peace negotiations with the government of Colombiaalleging violations of what was agreed in the talks that began in November 2022.
In a statement released on their social networks and dated February 19, the guerrilla accused Gustavo Petro’s government of “actions that violate what was agreed at the Talks Table.”
“Without being our responsibility for what happened, the dialogues between the ELN and the National government would enter a freezing phase while the government is prepared to comply with what was agreed,” indicated the National Liberation Army (ELN), from “the mountains of Colombia,” according to the bulletin.
Without delving into details, the guerrilla questioned some “regional dialogues” with the ELN in the department of Nariño (southwest), announced on February 18 by the local governor.
“Having agreed on a national process (…) it is now setting up a regional dialogue in Nariño outside of said national process and ignoring the ELN Delegation and the Table where the International Community participates”, currently in Cuba, the rebels stated.
“When such a setup becomes public, disguised as regional dialogues, the process enters into an open crisis and we are forced to call our Delegation” of negotiators for consultations, they added.
The governor of Nariño, Luis Alfonso Escobar, had announced the talks in his region, scheduled for the first week of March, according to a statement to the media.
“It means another victory that we have proposed as a departmental government (…) one thing is dialogues at the national level and another thing is territorializing peace,” said the official leader.
The national government has not yet commented on the matter.
Broken truces
In arms since 1964, the ELN has a force of some 5,800 combatants and a wide network of collaborators, according to military intelligence.
Although it has a central command, its fronts are autonomous in the military field, which according to experts makes negotiations difficult.
Inspired by the Cuban revolution and Liberation Theology, the ELN has held peace negotiations with five different governments, without ever reaching a definitive agreement.
The government and ELN delegations have held cycles of dialogue in Venezuela, Mexico and Cuba with many setbacks.
Last week the guerrilla suspended “an armed strike” that forced thousands of Afro people from a poor region of the Pacific to confine themselves.
Then, the office of the High Commissioner for Peace described the drastic measure as an act of “disloyalty” in the face of negotiations and a bilateral truce agreed until August.
The rebels responded by saying that it was a “defensive” action against the attacks of the Clan del Golfo, the largest drug gang in Colombia, which according to the ELN operates “in alliance” with members of the army.
In other regions, the organization faces dissidents from the peace process with the FARC, who negotiate separately with Petro.
Colombia is experiencing an armed conflict that in more than half a century has left 9.5 million victims, most of them displaced. Cocaine, fuel of violence, hits historical records in the largest producer of that drug.
Source: With information from AFP
