FARC dissidents announce a unilateral ceasefire in Colombia on the occasion of Christmas

Petro shows his desire that this decision and the ELN ceasefire help "consolidate true peace processes"

MADRID, 24 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The dissidents of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla have announced this Saturday a unilateral ceasefire on the occasion of Christmas that will last until January 7, although they have stressed that they reserve the right to defend themselves against possible attacks.

"We want to inform the population of Norte Santander, Sur del Bolívar, northeast Antioquia and Magdalena Medio, our unilateral will to decree a ceasefire against the military and police forces in our areas of operations starting at 06:00 on the 24th of December of this year", a spokesperson for the group stated through a video.

Likewise, it has highlighted that the FARC dissidents reserve the right to defend themselves against attacks and have called for progress in the peace dialogue with the Colombian government. "There must be a reading of the historical moment that the country is going through and stop killing each other among brothers," he said, according to the Colombian radio station Radio Caracol.

The FARC dissidents distanced themselves from the peace agreement signed by the State and the guerrillas in 2016 and have historical figures from the militia such as Luciano Marín Arango, alias 'Iván Márquez'.

After that, Petro has stated in his account on the social network Twitter that "at this moment, both the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the second Marquetalia, the Central General Staff, the armed groups of the Sierra Nevada and Buenaventura have started a unilateral truce". "We hope that true peace processes are consolidated," she has reviewed.

For its part, the High Commissioner for Peace has indicated on Twitter that "listening to the communities and the organizational processes, the EMC FARC declare a unilateral ceasefire." "The government of Gustavo Petro remains firm in the construction of peace and awaits the appointment of spokespersons for the dialogue," he added.

The announcement of the FARC dissidents came just two days after the High Commissioner for Peace called for a cessation of hostilities during the Christmas period, after the guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN) announced a ceasefire for these dates.

The ELN qualified that the truce could be interrupted if its combatants consider that their lives are in danger due to the actions of the forces of order. Thus, it will be in force between December 24 and the morning of January 2, in order to build "an environment of peace."