Colombia seeks new ceasefire with ELN guerrilla group

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Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Sunday he would seek a new truce with the National Liberation Army (ELN) group in a bid to salvage peace talks that have been set back after a recent offensive by the rebel group.

The ELN indicated a willingness to resume negotiations.

Santos wrote on Twitter that the government's chief negotiator, Gustavo Bell, "will travel to Quito to explore the possibility of a new ceasefire that will allow peace talks with the ELN to continue."

The president said his decision followed a call from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who urged him to renew dialogue with the leftist guerrillas.

Guterres had met with Santos in Bogota earlier this month to discuss the peace process.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visits the reinsertion centers of former FARC rebels in Buenavista, Colombia on January 14, 2018. /Reuters Photo

The government suspended talks on Wednesday following an offensive by the ELN, the last active guerrilla group in Colombia, that ended a 101-day ceasefire.

In recent days, the guerrillas have attacked government forces and targeted petroleum infrastructure. At least four soldiers have been killed and some 22 presumed rebels were captured in a government counteroffensive, officials said.

The ELN released a statement expressing a willingness to resume peace talks, saying "we agree to take part in a meeting between the heads of the delegations...to examine the prompt start of the fifth round of talks to discuss all pending matters."

It said it was prepared "to agree to another ceasefire."

Santos, who is set to step down in August, hopes to reach an agreement similar to the one signed with the much larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group in November 2016.

That accord led to the Communist rebels' disarmament and transformation into a political party.

Colombia's long internal conflict has had a devastating impact, leaving eight million people dead, unaccounted-for or displaced.

Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency