The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the last active far-left guerilla group in the country, have agreed to extend their landmark truce, known as the Bilateral, National and Temporary Ceasefire, for an additional six months.
This truce was previously extended for a week on January 30, 2024, as peace talks continue. The peace process is being financed by multiple donors.
The agreement to extend the ceasefire was reached in Cuba, following the first round of negotiations in Venezuela and the second round in Mexico City. Colombia’s High Commission for Peace has confirmed that the Dialogues for Peace between the government and the ELN concluded with five agreements and two protocols.
In alignment with this agreement, the government will fund the ceasefire to prevent the ELN from resuming kidnapping, drug trafficking, and illegal mining as methods of fundraising. This truce is part of President Gustavo Petro’s plan for “total peace” with the country’s armed groups.
The ELN was established in 1964 as a leftist movement by student activists who drew inspiration from the Cuban Revolution. Since then, the ELN, like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), has claimed to champion the rights of the underprivileged. The root of this nearly 60-year conflict is grounded in social inequality and political tensions.
Commenting on the situation, the International Crisis Group noted that a successful six-month bilateral ceasefire would mark the “longest bilateral ceasefire ever concluded with a guerrilla group.”