BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s armed group Segunda Marquetalia agreed to a unilateral ceasefire on Sunday, following days of peace talks in Caracas, part of the presidential election. Gustavo Petro‘s efforts to end sixty years of unrest in his country.
The unilateral ceasefire marks a step toward finally achieving peace in the South American country and reducing the violence that has long plagued the country.
The Segunda Marquetalia is a dissident faction of the now demobilized rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), whose leaders initially agreed to a 2016 peace deal but took up arms again three years later citing unfulfilled promises.
The Colombian government announced the agreement, saying the guerrilla group agreed to extradite hostages and respect the lives of Colombian citizens and officials in areas of the country where the group continues to have a presence.
The ceasefire will come into effect when a presidential decree is issued to “de-escalate offensive operations,” the government said in a statement. The Colombian government added that a meeting will be held no later than July 20 to present a “de-escalation agreement.”
The government’s chief negotiator, Armando Novoa, told Reuters in mid-June that Colombia hopes to sign and begin implementing a peace deal with the Segunda Marquetalia before leftist Petro leaves the presidency in just over two years.
Colombia is holding separate talks with the rebels of the National Liberation Army and the armed group Estado Mayor Central, another former faction of the FARC that never signed the 2016 agreement and most of whose units have rejected dialogue.
(Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Adriana Barrera; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Diane Craft)
