Colombia’s ELN Guerrilla Temporarily Suspend Peace Talks

The members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) have temporarily suspended the new round of peace talks with the Colombian government. This round, the seventh since the talks began, was to begin on April 22 in Caracas (Venezuela).

According to the portal La Silla Vacia, the peace delegation of the illegal armed group sent a letter to the head of the government delegation summoning her to an “extraordinary meeting” in the Venezuelan capital to discuss the issue and the difficulties that have led to the “freezing” of the peace process. This meeting should take place this Friday, April 12. For its part, the State has not yet responded to the armed group’s request.

Without “sufficient conditions”

The guerrilla delegation alleges in its letter to the government that it does not find “sufficient conditions to carry out the usual rounds of talks”, for which reason it is freezing the beginning of the next round of negotiations.

For next Friday’s extraordinary meeting, the armed group has requested the assistance of the countries which are guarantors of the dialogues, asking that they “help” the parties due to the “critical state” in which, according to the guerrilla group, the dialogues are in. On the part of the ELN, they have confirmed that the main historical leader, so-called Gabino, as well as the current commander, Antonio Garcia, and the head of the peace delegation, so-called Pablo Beltran, will attend the meeting.

Up to this moment, the government has not responded to the guerrilla group’s request, so the meeting on Friday has not yet been confirmed. All this takes place in a context in which this week the United Nations showed its satisfaction with the progress of the peace talks in Colombia.

Regional dialogues and participation committee

Although in the communiqué the ELN does not specify what it is referring to when it blames the government for alleged non-compliance, one of the aspects most questioned by the armed organization are the regional dialogues announced by the governor of the department of Narino in February.

The ELN affirms that these regional dialogues are being carried out without international accompaniment, or the support of the United Nations or the Episcopal Conference.

On the other hand, the guerrilla group also questions the so-called National Participation Committee, a mechanism designed to facilitate the inclusion of civil society in the peace process, pointing out that the lack of progress in the dialogues with the government is mainly due to this aspect.

Crisis in the peace talks

This is not the first crisis in the peace talks with the ELN. After the complex situation experienced in November with the kidnappings, this illegal organization has at various times expressed disagreements and alleged non-compliance by the State.

Likewise, the government has faced criticism from the political opposition due to, among other things, the announcement of the multi-donor fund. All this takes place amid the bilateral ceasefire that, until August this year, the Colombian State is maintaining with this guerrilla group.

At the same time, the other table of dialogues that Colombia maintains with the other important guerrilla group, the Central General Staff (EMC), is also experiencing moments of crisis. After the suspension of the ceasefire in the departments of Cauca and Narino, the cross accusations between this armed group and the State have pushed to the limit of peace talks which, for now, have not served to reduce violence against the civilian population.