The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) have made progress towards ending decades of armed conflict in the country. The second round of peace talks, held in Mexico City, saw both sides take “first steps” towards a temporary ceasefire, according to ELN official Pablo Beltran. The negotiations are part of President Gustavo Petro’s efforts to reach peace or surrender deals with armed groups and bring “total peace” to Colombia. The ELN is the country’s largest remaining rebel organisation, with around 2,500 fighters. The first round of talks, held in Caracas in 2022, resulted in diverging narratives, with the government announcing a truce had been reached while the ELN denied accepting any such agreement.
Creating a ceasefire will be a top challenge for the next cycle of talks, set to take place in Cuba, according to Otty Patino, the head of the Colombian government’s delegation. Developing a “pilot plan” for peace and expanding participation in the negotiations will also be key. Previous negotiations with the ELN have faltered due to the group’s diffuse chain of command and dissent within its ranks. In 2019, former President Ivan Duque called off peace talks with the ELN after a car bomb attack on a police academy in Bogota that killed 22 people.
Norway and Mexico, which have served as facilitators in the negotiations, hailed their progress on Friday. Norway’s foreign affairs ministry tweeted: “Congratulations to the [Colombian] government and the #ELN guerilla on substantial progress in the peace talks in Mexico, on key topics like participation, humanitarian relief & future cease fire.” Norway has also offered to assist as guarantor country in the next round of talks.
Petro, who won the election in June, has also said he plans to fully implement a previous accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed in 2016. More than 450,000 people have been killed in nearly 60 years of armed conflict in the country. The ELN has been accused of financing itself through drug trafficking, illegal mining and kidnappings.