Colombia's ELN guerrilla group declares Christmas cease-fire

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group declared a unilateral cease-fire on Monday for the Christmas holiday period.

The truce will begin at 6.00 a.m. local time (1100GMT) on Dec. 24 and end on Jan. 2, the group announced on social media.

"The National Liberation Army remains committed to continue contributing to create an environment of peace in this Christmas and New Year," an ELN member said in a video. But, she added, "we reserve the right to defend ourselves in case we are attacked."

Leftist President Gustavo Petro has promised to seek "total peace" by negotiating an end to the conflict with the ELN and other illegal armed groups in the South American country.

The guerrillas have questioned the sincerity of the government's peace-building efforts, saying that there were other paramilitary groups in the country that the military is not fighting.

"Real peace requires more than words. The paramilitaries continue at ease throughout the national territory hand in hand with the military and police forces," said the woman in the video. "Either the State commits to dissolve and eradicate these groups or the peace efforts will continue to be questioned," she added.

Negotiations suspended by former President Ivan Duque resumed as delegations from the Colombian government and ELN met last month.

Talks with the guerrilla group began in 2017 in Quito during the government of Juan Manuel Santos. In 2018, they were moved to Havana, where the group's main leaders lived.

The talks were interrupted by Duque in January 2019, a day after the group carried out a bombing in a police academy in Bogota, killing 21 officers and injuring 68 more. Duque said at the time that he was not willing to negotiate with the rebels after they refused to cease attacks against the population and the security forces.

The guerrillas and government concluded the first round of peace negotiations on Dec. 12, with the second round to begin on Jan. 23 in Mexico.