The new Colombian president Gustavo Petro wants to restart the peace process in the former civil war country. The aim is to consistently implement the peace agreement with the left-wing guerrilla organization FARC, resume broken negotiations with the smaller rebel group ELN and enter into dialogue with the Gulf Klan criminal syndicate, which emerged from the right-wing paramilitaries, the left-wing politician said. a day after taking office today.
The previous Conservative government implemented the FARC contract without much enthusiasm and broke off negotiations with the ELN after a bomb attack.
Chile offers itself as a mediator
Chile offered itself as a mediator and guarantor of the peace process. Chilean President Gabriel Boric said at a joint press conference in Bogotá that the South American country was one of the guarantor powers even before the peace agreement with the FARC was signed. More recently, he had already offered his country as a stage for further talks with the ELN.
For 52 years, Colombia has suffered from a civil war between left-wing rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and the military. 220,000 people lost their lives and millions were displaced. After the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the FARC, the security situation initially improved. However, many fighters have now gone underground again and joined criminal gangs. Time and again, trade unionists, social activists and environmentalists are deliberately killed.