FARC dissidents announce unilateral Christmas ceasefire in Colombia

Story by Daniel Stewart •

Dissidents of the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group announced Saturday a unilateral Christmas ceasefire that will last until January 7, although they stressed that they reserve the right to defend themselves against possible attacks.


Archive - Guerrilla of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) - FARC© Provided by News 360

"We want to inform the population of nortesantandereana, south of Bolivar, northeast Antioquia and Magdalena Medio, our unilateral will to decree a ceasefire against military and police forces in our areas of operations from 06.00 hours on December 24 of this year," said a spokesman for the group through a video.

He also stressed that FARC dissidents reserve the right to defend themselves against attacks and called for progress in the peace dialogue with the Colombian government. "We must read the historic moment the country is going through and stop killing each other," he said, according to Colombian radio station Radio Caracol.

The FARC dissidents dissociated themselves from the peace agreement signed by the state and the guerrillas in 2016 and include historical figures of the militia such as Luciano Marín Arango, alias 'Iván Márquez'.

Following this, Petro has stated in his account on the social network Twitter that "at this moment, both the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the second Marquetalia, the Central General Staff, the armed groups of the Sierra Nevada and Buenaventura have begun a unilateral truce". "We hope that real peace processes will be consolidated," he said.

For his part, the High Commissioner for Peace has indicated on Twitter that "listening to the communities and organizational processes, the EMC FARC declare unilateral ceasefire". "The Government of Gustavo Petro remains firm in the construction of peace and awaits the appointment of spokespersons for dialogue," he added.

The FARC dissidents' announcement came just two days after the High Commissioner for Peace called for a cessation of hostilities during the Christmas period, after the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas announced a ceasefire for these dates.

The ELN clarified that the truce could be interrupted if its fighters consider that their lives are endangered by the actions of the forces of law and order. Thus, it will be in force between December 24 and the morning of January 2, in order to build "an atmosphere of peace".

Source: (EUROPA PRESS)