He Colombian Government suspended on Wednesday the peace dialogue with the National Liberation Army (ELN), one day after that a bomb attack of that group killed two soldiers and left 26 wounded, announced a government delegation.
The decision puts end for now to the main one bet from President Gustavo Petro for peace and the president’s greatest effort to end a six-decade internal conflict that has left more than 450,000 dead, which will lead to an intensification of hostilitiesaccording to analysts.
Today the peace process is suspended. Its viability is severely damaged and its continuity can only be restored with an unequivocal demonstration of the ELN’s will for peace.Delegation of the Government of Colombia.
Petrothe country’s first left-wing president, advance on Tuesday night that the attempt perpetrated by the ELN “practically” had closed the peace talks “with blood”.
The president reestablished the Negotiation with the ELN by the end of 2022 as part of its efforts to achieve complete peace and end a violent conflict involving factions of the FARC outside of a 2016 peace agreement and criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking.
The attack that caused the breach occurred on Tuesday against an Army base in a rural area of the municipality of Arauquita, in the department of Arauca, on the border with Venezuela.
Escalating confrontation
The negotiation was frozen and the Rebel group ended unilateral suspension of kidnappings which he offered in the middle of the dialogue, which means the return of one of the most feared crimes in the midst of armed conflict.
Since the bilateral ceasefire ended, the ELN launched an offensive against the Military Forces and the National Policewhile resumed bombings against the oil pipeline networkmainly the Limón-Coveñas Canal, causing environmental pollution in rivers and streams due to oil spills.
The Colombian Armed Forces also Restarted offensive operations against the rebel group after the end of the bilateral ceasefire, which the parties did not extend as planned.
The government’s decision to suspend peace talks implies the reactivation of arrest warrants for the main commanders of this guerrilla group who are refugees in Venezuela and Cuba, according to the government.
What is the ELN?
He ELNconsidered as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Unionhas More than 6,150 membersincluding more than 3,300 fighters, according to security sources who say that The group strengthened itself militarily and increased its territorial control. in the middle of the peace talks with Petro.
The Negotiations of previous governments with the ELNaccused of financing kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and illegal mining, They did not advance because of their radical positionsa diffuse chain of command and dissent within its ranks.
The current Colombian government held several rounds of peace talks with the ELN with the support of Mexico, Norway, Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil and Chile, which participated as guarantor countries, but without achieving concrete results.
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Right away, There was no reaction from the guerrilla group through their social networks.