The Government of Colombia and the ELN agree to a bilateral ceasefire at the national level for six months

MADRID, 9 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The delegations of the Government of Colombia and the guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in charge of reaching a peace agreement have agreed on Friday a bilateral ceasefire at the national level and for six months.

The parties have signed an agreement for a bilateral ceasefire that will last for 180 days, with the possibility of being extended, and that will come into force on August 3, according to the Colombian newspaper 'El Tiempo'.

As confirmed by the Colombian High Commissioner for Peace, Danilo Rueda, starting in the coming weeks, monitoring and verification mechanisms will begin to be established for compliance with the agreement.

Thus, the pact consists of three stages. The first of them will cover from this Friday until July 5, the period in which the organizations that will verify compliance with the ceasefire must be enlisted.

Later, the de-escalation stage will take place with an eye toward August 3, the date on which both parties have promised to respect a nationwide ceasefire.

This agreement for the ceasefire has been produced in Havana, where the representatives of the Government and the ELN have held the third round of contacts in recent days within the framework of the so-called 'peace plan' promoted by President Gustavo Petro.

Sources consulted by the aforementioned Colombian newspaper have announced that the parties plan to hold a fourth round of talks in mid-May, this time in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.