2023-06-14 12:29:26
President Gustavo Petro assured, during the closing of the third round of talks between the ELN and the Government, that peace between both parties could be achieved in May 2025. EFE/Ernesto Mastrascusa
Photo: EFE – Ernesto Mastrascusa
The third cycle of dialogues between the Government and Gustavo Petro with the ELN guerrillas ended last Friday in Havana (Cuba) with the signing of three agreements on the bilateral ceasefire and the participation of civil society in the process.
“The process of participation of society in the construction of peace”; “Bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire between the Colombian government and the ELN” y “Readiness for the process of participation of society and the bilateral ceasefire” These are the names of the three agreements that were reached in this phase and that precisely touch on prioritized issues in the dialogue process with this guerrilla.
In context: Total Peace: with bilateral cessation Government and ELN chart a path to end the conflict
These documents mean the creation of a roadmap where, for the first time, a timetable for civil society participation and the implementation of the ceasefire.
This is the step by step of this process:
Just last Friday, the closing day of the third cycle of dialogue in Cuba, the enlistment and preparation process of the bilateral ceasefire that will enter into force next Thursday, August 3 and will last for 180 days from that date (approximately 6 months).
In a week, the delegates of the table will travel to Cuba to agree on the protocols that are needed to start the execution of the ceasefire and it is expected that the UN Security Council will approve the mission that will verify this process.
In addition there will be a Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MMV) of the ceasefire that is made up of the UN, the Public Force, delegates of the ELN and the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and the Episcopal Conference, which is defining what its participation model will be like. It was also established that civil society may monitor compliance with the bilateral ceasefire through the role of Social Oversight.
What was agreed on the bilateral ceasefire between the ELN and the government?
The parties agreed in the bilateral ceasefire agreement that offensive operations will cease on July 6, but not defensive ones.
For example, it was established thatn case of detention or retention of members of the ELN, the Public Force or the civilian population during the bilateral ceasefire, the MMV will need to be informed in order to assess the situation, follow up and make recommendations.
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From June 9 to August 3, the pending protocols will be drafted, the start of pedagogy activities and the preparation for the implementation of the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MMV), which will have a national session space (Bogotá), eight regional and 20 local, located mainly in the departments of Arauca, Chocó, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Santander, Antioquia and Nariño.
The bilateral ceasefire seeks to lower the intensity of the conflict to facilitate humanitarian dynamics in the most affected territories, generate guarantees for participation in these areas, and make it easier for the population to become part of the peace process.
How will the civilian population participate in the talks with the ELN?
On July 25, the National Participation Committee which will be in charge of collecting, systematizing and presenting the proposals of civil society that will have to be accepted automatically and bindingly by the negotiating table.
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The Committee will be made up of 80 members representing 30 organizations of ethnic peoples, trade unions and institutions, and will have four government delegates and another four from the ELN. It will also have a Technical Secretariat made up of 2 delegates for each of the parties.
The representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Episcopal Conference of Colombia will manage the headquarters of the National Participation Committee and the financing of this body.
One week after the official installation of the National Participation Committee, the bilateral ceasefire between the parties will formally begin on August 3. A week later, On August 14, the fourth cycle of peace talks in Venezuela will begin which is scheduled until September 4. There, the agreement will be monitored and progress will be made in the six-point agenda signed in Mexico On March 10.
Read here the agreements between the ELN and the government:
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