Decree 004, signed on January 4, 2023, by President Gustavo Petro and Defense Minister Iván Velásquez, ordered the “resumption of offensive military operations and police operations against the members of the ELN”.
(Read: Petro suspended his schedule in Chile to return “urgently” to Colombia).
This implies the end of the armed truce with this insurgent group that had been announced by the head of state, on December 31, 2022. Which will be maintained as long as the national bilateral and temporary ceasefire that the president had raised is suspended.
In this sense, the implementation of the truce sIt would be reactivated when the protocols signed by both negotiating teams are approved at the dialogue table, which is expected to start its second cycle at the end of January.
It should be noted that after Gustavo Petro’s statements and the guerrilla’s clarification thatand said armistice is only a proposal that is under study; The ELN assured that “since the government does not comply with the discussion processes of the Roundtable and takes unilateral measures and makes them public, these procedures put the development of the roundtable in crisis and forced it to issue the explanatory statement.”
(In addition: Francia Márquez denounces the discovery of explosives near her house).
The bilateral ceasefire that the Government had decreed for the end of 2022 covered the period between January 1 and June 30, 2023. However, this measureda was suspended due to what was expressed by the guerrillas, according to the new decree.
In this sense, the Government recalled that the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and the ELN have indicated “willingness to discuss the bilateral ceasefire proposal.”
Finally, in the document issued a few days ago by the Ministry of Defense it is stated that “compliance with the function and constitutional and legal obligation of the Public Force to preserve the integrity of the national territory, the constitutional and legal order and ensure the necessary conditions for the exercise of public rights and liberties throughout the national territory will continue.he”.
(Read: Anla: the axes of the reform that will be made to the environmental license).
Below is the decree issued by the Government:
BRIEFCASE
