Colombia's FARC guerrillas have declared an indefinite, unilateral ceasefire in the 50-year conflict, saying they would only use weapons if they come under attack by the army.
The announcement - the third year running the leftist rebels have declared a ceasefire over the holiday season - comes soon after peace talks with the Colombian government resumed, following a crisis triggered by the capture of an army general on November 16.
Wednesday's move was noteworthy for the lack of an expiration date, but President Juan Manuel Santos has consistently refused to reciprocate.
"We have resolved to declare a unilateral ceasefire and end hostilities for an indefinite period of time, which should be transformed into an armistice," said the rebels' peace negotiators in Cuba, where they are in talks with Colombian officials.
"This unilateral ceasefire, which we hope will last a long time, will end only if our guerrilla units have been the subject of attacks by the security forces."
The ceasefire will take effect at one minute past midnight on Saturday, said a statement posted on the website of the rebel delegation to the peace talks. The guerrilla group called for international observers from organisations including the Red Cross to monitor.
The rebels have repeatedly called for a bilateral ceasefire as part of the ongoing peace process.
The two-year-old talks in the Cuban capital Havana are the most promising effort yet to end the five-decade conflict, which has defied three previous attempts.
Negotiations have so far produced agreements on land reform, fighting the drug trafficking that has fuelled the conflict, and political participation for guerrilla fighters.
The conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and uprooted 5.3 million since the FARC was founded in the aftermath of a peasant uprising in 1964.
