COLOMBIA’S TWO largest rebel groups, the FARC and ELN, have announced independent ceasefires to last throughout the country’s upcoming presidential election period. The groups’ central commands have called on all of their active units to suspend any military offensives against the Colombian state from May 20 until May 28, apparently in a show of good will to the Colombian people and in the hope of encouraging the peace process.
Commanders of FARC and ELN stated in a press release, “in order to promote more favourable conditions for the peace talks [between the FARC and government], we have declared unilateral ceasefires, which paradoxically have led to the intensification of regime offensives.” The statement went on to say that the insurgency does not believe in the Colombian electoral system. “We, like millions of countrymen, think that corruption, cronyism, fraud and dirty tricks of all kinds lead to the illegitimacy of the results and scandals, which now gives more strength to our claims,” they stated.
