The post In the blind spot appeared first on Minuto30.
The August 3 deadline to renew the ceasefire with the ELN has passed, and the process has been frozen since the seventh cycle of Caracas in May, when that illegal group accused the Government of perfidy and of breaking the bilateral dialogue by negotiating with the dissident front “Comuneros del Sur” in Nariño.
In the face of the crisis, different sectors have urged the Negotiating Table to hold an extraordinary meeting; however, there are many pending issues to agree on an extension that would be nothing more than a government capitulation.
First: Given the complex internal situation in Venezuela, one of the main guarantor countries, it is advisable to wait until there is clarity regarding its political situation.
Second: The Sixth Congress of the ELN was held in June and its pronouncements on how to overcome the crisis were expected, but it did not shed any light. Beyond the usual rhetoric of “will for peace,” accompanied by the same questions and the ratification of the continuity of the armed struggle, it remained silent on kidnapping, extortion, harassment of the population and the violation of human rights in the regions where they exercise territorial control to protect illicit profits.
Third: The Monitoring and Verification Mechanism, without which the ceasefire is a mockery, is also frozen, since the ELN has sabotaged it since October 2023 and today there are hundreds of cases of non-compliance without evaluation and without a statement from the UN Mission, its official spokesperson.
Opinion
Fourth: In the territories, the ceasefire is not compatible with the reality of violence. The situation of kidnappings in Arauca and the possible responsibility of the ELN in the closure, due to extortion, of the palm oil extraction plant in Catatumbo, which jeopardizes thousands of jobs, as evidenced by a mass march in Tibú, a region that is struggling to shake off the curse of drug trafficking, are still pending.
The question is: In a scenario of suspension of negotiations and a ceasefire… what will the ELN do on August 4? Will the violence escalate? Is that what they are looking for? The Armed Forces are aware of the “logic of terror” with which they intend to soften the government and society.
So many pending issues put the process in a “blind spot,” and I expressed this to President Petro, asking him to consider a possible suspension by the Government, not imposed by the ELN, until the obstacles to the negotiations are clarified.
My great concern: There is a dichotomy between the attitude of the ELN negotiators, willing to engage in dialogue amidst great differences, and the pronouncements of its Sixth Congress, harsh, bellicose and totally silent about the commitments that the Roundtable and the country expect to achieve the transformations that will lead to peace.
Which ELN are we negotiating with to get out of the blind spot?
@jflafaurie
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The post In the blind spot appeared first on Minuto30.
2024-08-04 04:20:46
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