Colombia's National Liberation Army Proposes 90-Day Ceasefire Agreement With Gov't

Colombia's National Liberation Army Proposes 90-Day Ceasefire Agreement with Gov't

A major Colombian militant group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), proposed that the country's government agree to a ceasefire for 90 days, as indicated in a statement by the organization

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) A major Colombian militant group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), proposed that the country's government agree to a ceasefire for 90 days, as indicated in a statement by the organization.

"We suggest that President Ivan Duque sign a bilateral ceasefire agreement for a period of 90 days," the statement reads.

According to the ELN, the ceasefire might help defuse tensions and create favorable conditions for the start of peace talks between the militant group and the Colombian government.

Duque, in turn, said that Colombia would never stop fulfilling its constitutional duty to fight crime throughout the country.

The ELN, a group that follows a communist ideology and is believed to consist of several thousand fighters, has been engaged in an armed struggle with the Colombian authorities to overthrow it since 1964. After the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia disarmed itself in 2017, the ELN became the country's only guerrilla movement.