Colombian president suspends cease-fire with FARC guerrillas, orders military offensive

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) – Colombia’s president on Monday suspended the bilateral cease-fire with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents after the massacre of four indigenous children by a FARC faction in the southern Putumayo department.

After they were forcibly recruited by the guerrilla group, the minors were killed while trying to flee their abductors.

"An atrocious event that questions the will to build peace. There is no justification whatsoever for this kind of crime," Gustavo Petro said on Twitter.

The president said that the decision is based on “the serious violation of human rights” committed by the Carolina Ramirez FARC faction led by Ivan Mordisco, one of the bloodiest guerrilla commanders, who rejected the 2016 peace between the government and FARC that ended 60 years of violent conflict in the country.

Petro said that the bilateral cease-fire that existed since the end of 2022 with this armed group in the departments of Meta, Caqueta, Guaviare, and Putumayo “is suspended and all offensive operations are reactivated."

"If the bilateral cease-fire is not effective in certain territories to protect the life and integrity of the entire population, it makes no sense to persist with it," the statement said.

Minutes later, the FARC dissidents responded to Petro's decision by accusing the military of violating the cease-fire.

"The unilateral break will unleash war and will multiply the dead, wounded and prisoners, contrary to a policy of total peace," a FARC statement said.

Since coming to power, the Colombian president has promised to work to achieve “total peace," which aims to bring together armed groups operating in the country to initiate peace negotiations with all of them.