Colombian rebel organization “national liberation Army” (ELN) invited the authorities of a truce during the Pope’s visit to the country. About it reports Reuters.
“We intend to take all necessary efforts to the terms of the truce kept on both sides, but if this is not possible, we do not exclude that will stop the fighting unilaterally, — explained the chief ELN negotiator Pablo Beltran. — His Holiness Pope Francis — a Pope who once again forced the Church to think about the poor and disadvantaged in the world the most. He’s a progressive Pope, and we Colombians, we want to show that we support his efforts to achieve peace”.
Formal negotiations between the government and the ELN began in February 2017. “National liberation army” appeared in 1964. At the moment it has about two thousand fighters, the US and the EU consider it a terrorist organization. After the largest rebel group of Colombia, the FARC, signed a peace agreement with the government, the ELN has partially occupied the areas previously controlled by units of the organization to prevent terror right-wing “death squads”.