BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia and the Marxist ELN rebels began a ceasefire on Sunday aimed at generating goodwill during complicated talks to end a half-century war that has killed hundreds of thousands.
The truce, the first with the National Liberation Army (ELN), will run through Jan. 9 and may be extended if it is respected.
“This is a very important step, a step that I hope will be the first in a process that will also lead the ELN to hand in their weapons,” President Juan Manuel Santos said ahead of the armistice.
The ELN is in talks in Ecuador to end its part in the conflict. Since negotiations began in February, the ELN has continued to take hostages for ransom and in recent weeks stepped up bomb attacks on oil companies.
Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas warned that, although Colombia’s military would avoid confrontations with the ELN during the ceasefire, it would go after the group if it engaged in criminal activities such as illegal mining and drug trafficking.
“We’ll respect the ceasefire in the sense that we won’t confront the ELN, looking for contact and combat. We hope they do the same,” Villegas told Reuters in a recent interview.
