BOGOTA (Reuters) January,1– Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist and former guerrilla fighter, announced late Saturday a January ceasefire with five illegal armed groups to support peace talks.
From 1985 to 2018, Petro promised to end the civil war in the Andean country that lasted nearly 60 years, killing at least 450,000 people.
“This is a brave act,” Petro wrote on Twitter. “A bilateral ceasefire obliges armed groups and states to respect it. There will be national and international review mechanisms.”
Groups include left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla groups and dissident groups led by former members of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Segunda Marchetaria and Estado Mayor Central. In a separate statement, the Colombian government said it had received letters from societies, churches and many community groups calling for an end to the violence.
The government will issue specific decrees to each organization to determine the duration and conditions of the ceasefire, he added. It is scheduled until June 30th, but it may be extended.
Earlier this month, the ELN declared a nine-day unilateral ceasefire during the holiday season, ending the first cycle of peace talks between the two parties in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
