Colombian government-ELN peace talks in Havana, Cuba. Photo: Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The delegations of the Colombian government and the guerrilla organization National Liberation Army (ELN) held peace talks in Havana, Cuba, signing the protocols and technical documents for a ceasefire and the process of social participation, in accordance with the agreements reached in June 2023.
This past Saturday, the two sides publicized the protocols for the bilateral ceasefire that will come into effect on August 3 and will continue until January 29, 2024, with provisions for extension.
The protocols include rules with which the parties must specify how the ceasefire will operate, what actions will be prohibited, and how the monitoring and verification mechanisms that will be in charge of the measure will function. The ceasefire will be operational throughout the entire national territory of Colombia.
The signing of the protocols comes as a result of two simultaneous negotiations between the Colombian government and the ELN—one in Havana and the other in Bogota—that have been ongoing since June 20, following the signing of the ceasefire agreement on June 9 at the end of the third round of the peace talks in Cuba.
Colombia: President Petro Signs Decree Enacting Bilateral Ceasefire With ELN
Nine protocols were signed between the two sides:
1) Role of the Peace Dialogues in the Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire.
2) Complementary Protocol on the Mandate of the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism.
3) Role of the Catholic Church in the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism.
4) Social Oversight and Humanitarian Protection Mechanisms in the framework of the Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement.
5) Evaluation, Extension, or Suspension of the Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement.
6) Security and Protection for the members of the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism.
7) Security for the ELN in the framework of the Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement.
8) Communication of the Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement.
9) Pedagogy of the Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement and its protocols.
In addition, the parties agreed upon “the glossary of the terms of the Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement.”
“The Operational Regulations and the Work Plan of the National Participation Committee were adopted, and it was agreed upon to install said Committee in Bogota, Colombia on August 3, 2023,” the two sides declared.
Government of Colombia and ELN Sign Historic Ceasefire, UN and Venezuela Celebrate
Cuba applauds results of Colombian government-ELN peace talks
Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez applauded the results of the peace talks between the Colombian government and the ELN.
Saludamos resultados alcanzados en #Cuba por la Mesa de Diálogos de Paz entre el Gobierno de Colombia y el ELN, con la aprobación de Protocolos conforman acuerdo de cese al fuego bilateral, nacional y temporal, y la composición del Comité Nacional de la Participación. pic.twitter.com/Df7gxv0Mx6
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) July 15, 2023
Havana served as the venue and facilitated the conditions for a Peace Dialogues Commission to meet again with technical participation of both parties to fine-tune the ratified protocols.
Cuba has remained active as an alternative venue and as a guarantor country, following up on the Cuba Agreements signed as verification of its firm position in favor of peace in Colombia.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/KZ
