On Sunday the Colombian government suspended, in three departments, the bilateral ceasefire with the Central General Staff (CGS), the main dissident organization of the FARC, accusing them of an attack on Satuday.
Ivan Velasquez, the Minister of Defense ordered by decree that he would “suspend the Bilateral and Temporary National Ceasefire with Territorial Impact (CFBTNT) between the National Government and the Central General Staff of the FARC-EP in the departments of Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca.”
The decree ruled “the resumption of offensive military operations and police operations from 00:00 on March 20, 2024 against the structures of the Central General Staff of the FARC-EP present in the Departments of Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca.”
Since last year, the Government and the EMC have been conducting a peace negotiation, the result of which on 17 October they initiated a bilateral and temporary ceasefire, which was extended for six months in January until 15 July.
Saturday’s attack was allegedly perpetrated by the insurgent column Dagoberto Ramos in the village of La Bodega, in Toribío (Cauca).
The Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, described what happened as a violation of the bilateral ceasefire, while the guerrillas have yet to issue a public statement.