Colombia peace talks broaden

SBS World News Radio: Formal peace talks between the Colombian government and the country's second-biggest rebel group, the National Liberation Army, have begun.

Colombia peace talks broadenColombia peace talks broaden

Colombia peace talks broaden

Last year, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos earned himself a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts towards ending Latin America's longest-running civil war.

After signing a peace accord with the country's largest rebel group, the FARC, President Santos signalled an end to the 52-year conflict.

But there is a still a long way to go before complete peace is restored in Colombia, where conflict with guerrilla groups and paramilitaries has killed more than 220,000 people.

For the President, the next phase involves securing a deal with the National Liberation Army, known as the ELN, the country's second-biggest rebel group.

"Now that we are advancing with the ELN, we will have a complete peace. The eyes of the world are on us and are expecting the best."

The ELN is a 2,000-strong communist guerrilla army founded by radical Catholic priests and inspired by Cuba's revolution.

They've been in conflict with the government since 1964 and, in recent years, peace talks between the two sides have been laid on the table but never formally carried out.

It's hoped the negotiations, taking place in the Ecuadorian capital Quito, will move Colombia a step closer to peace.

But ELN Commander Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista, known by his alias, Gabino, says peace cannot be achieved by talks alone.

"The way in which we understand peace is not just about dialogue and agreements with the insurgency. The mobilised people have said that peace is made up of change, and we can see these changes coming. Perhaps, when these changes and developments begin, when we see political changes as part of the regime we can say that peace is in motion."

Almost a year ago, the government and the ELN announced the start of formal negotiations.

They ground to a halt when the ELN carried out kidnappings, which President Santos had stipulated must stop before the talks go ahead.

There have been other setbacks, too.

The ELN have long maintained an aggressive pro-environment stance and, in the past, have carried out bombings on oil installations.

President Santos remains firm that such actions will only hamper negotiations.

"The ELN is completely mistaken if they believe that with military acts and attacks of this kind, they are constructing the route towards peace. If they think that they are going to arrive in a stronger position to the negotiating table, they are totally mistaken."

But following the release of two hostages last week, President Santos, along with the rebel group, are willing to give peace another go.

The ELN freed Fredy Moreno, a Colombian soldier captured last month, and Odin Sanchez, a former politician kidnapped almost 10 months ago.

Their release was key to the conduct of negotiations, with President Santos sanctioning the release of two jailed ELN fighters in exchange.

But there are challenges ahead, with experts warning the ELN could prove a tough negotiating partner.

Ariel Avila, a conflict analyst points out that while the number of ELN fighters pales in comparison to the FARC, its strength comes from its civil base.

"The FARC is an army trying to practise politics; the ELN is a political organisation trying to wage war. In other words, the ELN may have a small number of armed fighters, but its social base is much larger than that of the FARC. They are in many more urban places than the FARC. So, it is not right to measure them by the numbers of armed men, but yes they have more or less 2,500 armed men and some 5,000 or 6,000 civil members, but the ELN is not just that, it is much more, its political base is much wider."

Meantime, FARC rebels have begun their transition to peace, with thousands making their way demobilisation camps to hand over their weapons.

 






Share

4 min read

Published


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world