Colombia's ELN rebels deny having discussed cease-fire with government

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels denied Tuesday a declaration by Colombian President Gustavo Petro that both parties reached an agreement on a cease-fire.

“The ELN Dialogue Delegation has not discussed with the Government of Gustavo Petro any proposal for a Bilateral Ceasefire, therefore there is still no agreement on this matter,” it said in a statement. “A unilateral decree of the Government cannot be accepted as an agreement.”

Petro announced Jan. 1 a six-month bilateral cease-fire with the five largest armed groups operating in the country, including the ELN, which is currently holding peace talks with the government.

The ELN said that it would be willing to discuss a cease-fire proposal when peace talks resume in the coming weeks.

"We understand the Government's decree as a proposal to be examined in the next cycle," it said.

Since taking office Aug. 7, Petro has been seeking a policy of "total peace" to end a 50-year armed conflict between the state and various left-wing guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries.

Peace talks that were suspended by former President Ivan Duque were resumed by delegations of the government and the ELN last month. Talks with the group began in 2017 in Ecuador during the government of Juan Manuel Santos. In 2018, they were moved to Havana.

The talks were interrupted by Duque in January 2019, a day after the group carried out a bombing at a police academy in Bogota that killed 21 officers.​​​​​​​