Central Government, ELN Rebels Formalize Colombian Rebel Peace Talks

Summary: Representatives of the Colombian government and of the ELN are formalizing Colombian rebel peace talks as of Wednesday, March 31, 2016.

ELN flag: Fibonacci, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Representatives of the national government and of the National Liberation Army, second largest rebel group in the Republic of Colombia, are formalizing Colombian rebel peace talks, according to announcements March 31, 2016.

The announcements bring together the representatives of Juan Manuel Santos, 32nd President of Colombia since Aug. 7, 2010, and of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN). They come at the end of exploratory talks whose occurrences date back to the years between 2002 and 2007 and to the years since January 2014. Progression to formal stages draws to a close two years of preliminary rounds attended by governmental and rebel representatives and hosted by Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Successful outcomes entail an end to 52 years of nonstop fighting since the ELN’s founding July 4, 1964, in Santander department by Fabio Vásquez Castaño.

Caracas, Venezuelan capital of Colombia’s neighbor to the east, furnished the setting for the announcement of Colombian rebel peace talks by both governmental and rebel representatives.

Fabio Vásquez Castaño (left), founder of ELN, with Father Camilo Torres Restrepo (right) in early days of ELN: pascuale sedall @pascualenriques via Twitter March 27, 2013

The governmental representative, Frank Pearl of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, and the rebel representative, Antonio García, give as host countries Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela. They hope for success since of the three repeat host countries “The national government and the ELN express special acknowledgement and gratitude to all of them.”

A “final accord to terminate the armed conflict” is the aim of the “Agreement on Dialogues for Colombian Peace between the National Government and the ELN.”

ELN’s “moving forward on the negotiations as a result of exploratory and confidential dialogues” joins “expressed readiness for peace” in warranting a “public forum for talks.”

President Juan Manuel Santos keeps confirmation of beginning dates for Colombian rebel peace talks contingent upon resolution of such humanitarian issues as an end to kidnapping. He looks for immediate releases of remaining hostages and rejects moving "forward in a peace dialogue with the ELN while (the group) is holding people hostage." The recent release of Army Corporal Jair de Jesús Villar, abducted Feb. 3, 2016, in Segovia, Antioquia province, may be credited to the presidential push.

Marlene Camacho noted economic motivations behind release of her son, José Cabrales Camacho, government official abducted Sept. 3, 2015, from Ocaña, Norte de Santander Department. She observed that paying less than the $4 million ransom demand did not prevent her son’s return March 23, 2016, three days after the Villar release.

Jorge Hernando Nieto, National Police Commander, provided the few known details pertaining to the capture of Héctor Germán Pérez, an off-duty patrolman, March 21, 2016. The policeman’s forced pullover en route to Tiquisio, Bolívar province, and removal from his motor-bicycle into a car occupied by armed men qualifies as a kidnapping.

ELN rebels require Catholic Church representation in confidential, exploratory and formal Colombian rebel peace talks that "are based on forgiveness and show the process of reconciliation." Governmental and rebel representatives seek "a stable and lasting peace ... based on truth, justice, reparations, commitments not to repeat (the same acts) and not forgetting.”

Governmental representatives still take rebels to task for not declaring ceasefires while rebels request the body of Camilo Torres Restrepo, Louvain-educated revolutionary priest killed in 1964.

Father Camilo Torres Restrepo with Colombian peasant children (campesinos colombianos) ~ ELN members have been asking for decades for the return of the body of Louvain-educated revolutionary priest Camilo Torres Restrepo, killed by the Colombian government in 1964: Cristianismo y Revolución Nº 8, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

ELN flag: Fibonacci, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_ELN.svg

"Fabio Vásquez Castaño fue un guerrillero colombiano entrenado por Fidel Castro durante los años 60's.": pascuale sedall‏ @pascualenriques via Twitter March 27, 2013, @ https://twitter.com/pascualenriques/status/316906369812934656

Camilo Torres Restrepo: Cristianismo y Revolución Nº 8, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camilo_Torres_con_campesinos_colombianos.jpg

For further information:

Alsema, Adriaan. 30 March 2016. “Colombia Announces Formal Peace Talks with ELN.” Colombia Reports > Peace Talks.
Available @ http://colombiareports.com/colombia-announced-formal-peace-talks-eln-rebels/

Alsema, Adriaan. 30 March 2016. “Colombia Government, ELN Rebels Set to Announce Formal Peace Talks.” Colombia Reports > Peace Talks.
Available @ http://colombiareports.com/eln-rebels-colombia-government-set-formalize-peace-talks-report/

Alsema, Adriaan. 21 March 2016. “ELN Captures Policeman on Same Day Guerrillas Release Soldier.” Colombia Reports > News.
Available @ http://colombiareports.com/eln-captures-policeman-day-guerrillas-release-soldier/

BBC Breaking News @BBCBreaking. 30 March 2016. "Colombia to start formal peace talks with second largest rebel group, ELN, after more than five decades of conflict." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/715218130960838658

“Colombia and Rebels from the ELN to Hold Peace Talks.” BBC News > World > Latin America & Caribbean > 10 June 2014.
Available @ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-27788288

“Colombia to Begin Peace Talks with ELN.” TRT World > News > Americas > Mar. 31, 2016.
Available @ http://www.trtworld.com/americas/colombia-to-begin-peace-talks-with-eln-79116

“Colombian Gov’t, ELN Agree to Peace Talks.” Daily Witness > International > March 30, 2016.
Available @ http://dailywitness.com/colombian-govt-eln-agree-to-peace-talks/

ELN Rebels Release Kidnapped Colombian Soldier.” Fox News Latino > News > March 20, 2016.
Available @ http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/03/20/eln-rebels-release-kidnapped-colombian-soldier/

“Héctor Germán Pérez, el policía que está secuestrado por el Eln.” El Tiempo > Política > 30 de marzo de 2016.
Available @ http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/justicia/el-policia-hector-german-perez-secuestrado-por-el-eln/16550200

Nullvalue. 29 June 2000. “Fundador del ELN vive en Cuba, revela Gabino.” El Tiempo > Archivo.
Available @ http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1232846

“Pagamos mucho menos de los 4.000 millones que pidieron.” Semana > Nación > 2016/03/28.
Available @ http://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/se-pago-al-eln-para-liberar-a-ramon-jose-cabrales-marlene-camacho/467066

pascuale sedall‏ @pascualenriques. 27 March 2013. "Fabio Vásquez Castaño fue un guerrillero colombiano entrenado por Fidel Castro durante los años 60's." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/pascualenriques/status/316906369812934656

“Ramón Cabrales abandonó el país por temor a seguir siendo víctima del ELN.” Zonacero > Política > Lunes 28 de Marzo de 2016.
Available @ http://zonacero.com/?q=politica/ramon-cabrales-abandono-el-pais-por-temor-seguir-siendo-victima-del-eln-57308