The Latin American Report # 384

Colombia

The socio-political situation there continues to be marked by the negative impact of the internal armed conflict and the sharpening of the contradiction between certain factors in society and the government of Gustavo Petro. Clashes between guerrillas belonging to the disbanded FARC-EP and the Army continue, with the violent state of Valle del Cauca as one of the most active scenarios. These residual armed groups did not accept the peace agreement negotiated with then-President Juan Manuel Santos eight years ago. Last Saturday, the death of a guerrilla member of the so-called “Central Staff”—one of the two FARC-EP splinter groups—was reported after a fierce battle with the Army's Third Brigade in the town of Guacari. The security forces recovered “material for the military, weapons, communications, and some cell phones that will be very useful for intelligence purposes”, according to the second commander of the military division.

Also last Saturday, the Minister of the Interior called on the National Liberation Army—ELN in Spanish—to “rectify its path” by betting on peace. Petro's high official put forward a reasonable argument, quite plausible: “[the guerrillas] cannot lose [the] golden opportunity they have at this moment with a democratic left-wing government to advance the possibilities of peace in Colombia”. It has rained a lot since the ELN rose, perched on the revolutionary wave of the 60s, so it would be necessary to evaluate how much its ideological compass has been compromised. Nevertheless, with all that Petro may be criticized for from leftist sectors, it is still true that the ELN will not have a better moment than this to “wrest something” from the Colombian political system for its benefit and for the benefit of society.

_{An Army soldier (source of the image).}

“You cannot be sitting at a negotiating table if there is no clear decision on that purpose, on that objective, and what we think today, from the Government, is that this decision has not been taken by the leadership [of the ELN],” the Minister of the Interior also said. In the same vein, former President Santos made “an energetic call [to the guerrillas] to respect the life and human rights of the communities and to understand once and for all that they are suffocating the Colombian people they claim to defend.” “It is time for them to demonstrate their will for peace, if they have it, with real deeds,” he concluded.

Negotiations between the Government and the ELN are stalled while the guerrilla advances its operations in the regions of Chocó and Arauca. Along the way, the armed group has made major mistakes such as the kidnapping of the father of a much-loved Colombian sports figure who plays English soccer, striker Luis Diaz. To complicate matters, both the remnant guerrilla groups of the FARC-EP and the ELN have gaps and tension in the chain of command, multiplying the conflicts and compromising peace talks.

_{Army denounces the murder of this young soldier at the hands of one of the FARC-EP's residual armed splinter groups (source of image).}

And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.