An armed section of Colombia’s dissolved FARC rebels has declared they are ready to negotiate peace with the government next month, which might be a turning point for leftist President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” campaign. “We announce before the whole world that our delegates to the dialogue table with the Colombian state, headed by the national government, are already ready for May 16 of this year,” EMC spokesperson Ángela Izquierdo told media on Sunday.
Petro, a former member of the urban rebel group M-19, pledged to end six decades of an armed conflict that has killed over 450,000 people by signing peace or surrender agreements with rebels and criminal gangs and fully implementing the FARC pact. The EMC is one of two FARC splinter groups made up of former commanders and soldiers that rejected the 2016 peace pact that allowed FARC rebels to lay down their guns and become a political party.
Attorney General Francisco Barbosa stayed arrest warrants against more than 20 EMC members in early March, which permitted the start of peace negotiations to be conducted in the Llano del Yari, on the border between the departments of Meta and Caqueta, in the south of the nation. The organization, made up of 3,530 persons — 2,180 combatants and 1,350 auxiliaries – has maintained a bilateral truce with the Colombian government since the beginning of the year. The second dissident FARC faction is the Segunda Marquetalia, which in August 2019 returned to the armed struggle, saying that the state failed to comply with the peace deal.
‘Total peace’
Petro took power in August promising “total peace” to a country devastated by decades of conflict. The president initiated a six-month truce with FARC dissidents and other armed organizations on January 1. There were setbacks. The National Liberation Army (ELN), which has been negotiating with the government since November, denied Petro’s claim that it was part of the January truce.
After nine ELN rebels murdered and injured nine troops last month, Petro called government negotiators. Later this month, Cuba will host ELN negotiations. After Gulf Clan assaults on civilians and uniformed people, the government terminated its truce with the country’s main drug gang in March. Petro’s peace concessions to armed and criminal groups are often criticized by Colombia’s opposition. The administration “consolidated” the peace process with EMC last week. Sunday’s popular session with EMC leaders drew thousands of residents.
