Colombia decree suspends ceasefire with EMC armed group in three areas
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia will suspend its months-long ceasefire with the Estado Mayor Central (ECM) armed group in three provinces on Wednesday, a government decree said on Sunday, citing incidents of violence that broke the ceasefire. The EMC – founded by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels who reject the […]
Peace deal with Colombia unlikely before end of Petro’s term-EMC rebel leader
San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia Reuters It will be difficult for the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) armed group to sign a peace deal with the Colombian government before President Gustavo Petro finishes his term in 2026, despite trust between the two sides, a major leader of the EMC told Reuters on the sidelines of peace […]
Colombia, EMC armed group begin peace talks, ceasefire
Tibu, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s government and the country’s largest group of dissident former FARC rebels on Sunday began peace talks and started a 10-month bilateral ceasefire in a bid to end the group’s role in almost six decades of internal conflict, the rebel group announced. The negotiations with the Estado Mayor Central – a dissident group […]
Essay: Colombia – former FARC fighters who signed 2016 peace deal now live amid threats and assassinations
Oxford University researcher CHRISTOPH SPONSEL, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at the challenges obstructing the reintegration of former FARC members into society…
Colombia, ELN rebels start six-month ceasefire
Bogota, ColombiaReuters A six-month ceasefire between Colombia’s government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group began on Thursday, representing the most solid progress to date for President Gustavo Petro’s ambitious plans to end the country’s 60-year conflict. The ceasefire, set to run until the end of January, 2024, is the product of ongoing peace […]
Clashes between gangs, military kill at least 20 in Colombia
Bogota, ColombiaReuters At least 20 people were killed as Colombian military personnel clashed with FARC dissidents and the Clan del Golfo crime gang in different parts of the country, authorities said on Monday. Fighting in Cauca province, in the municipality of Argelia, killed 12 combatants from a dissident group of the now-demobilised Revolutionary Armed Forces […]
Searching for the disappeared must be priority at Colombia peace talks -official
Bogota, Colombia Reuters The search for tens of thousands of people who were disappeared during Colombia’s six-decade conflict must be a priority at peace and surrender talks with rebel groups and crime gangs, the top official tasked with finding them said on Wednesday. At least 104,600 people have been forcibly disappeared in connection with Colombia’s […]
FARC dissident group says to start peace talks with Colombian government in May
Bogota, ColombiaReuters Dissident FARC rebels who rejected a landmark peace agreement in 2016 said on Sunday they are ready to set up a dialogue with the government on 16th May to begin peace talks to bring their group, the Estado Mayor Central, out of the armed conflict. Leftist President Gustavo Petro – a former member […]
Colombian armed groups and gangs have 17,600 members, intelligence reports find
Bogota, Colombia Reuters More than 17,600 people are members of the four major armed groups and 23 gangs with which the Colombian Government hopes to reach peace or surrender deals, two security agency reports seen by Reuters show. The newly updated figures, which have not been reported before, are an effort to understand the current […]
Colombia must speed dismantling of armed groups – United Nations
Bogota. ColombiaReuters Colombia should speed the dismantling of armed groups to reduce violence and human rights violations, and implement the country’s 2016 peace accord with the FARC rebels, the in-country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday. Colombia’s nearly six decades of armed conflict between the armed forces, leftist […]