Colombian Government and ELN to Discuss Ceasefire Protocols

On Monday, as part of President Gustavo Petro's Comprehensive Peace Policy, the delegations of the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) will hold a meeting to discuss the protocols related to the bilateral ceasefire.

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The meeting will take place in Havana. Its purpose is to approve the eight guidelines for the cessation of hostilities between both parties, which will come into effect on August 3.

To this end, a subcommittee of the Colombian Government has been working on the protocols since June 19, as agreed upon by both parties beforehand.

Since July 5, the delegates from each side have been separately analyzing the documents prepared by the subcommittee. Among the protocols to be agreed upon is the one concerning the evaluation, extension, or suspension of the ceasefire.

The parties will also review protocols related to the role that the dialogue table will have in the ceasefire's development, the tasks that the Catholic Church will carry out in monitoring the ceasefire, and the review of security and protection conditions for the members of the "Monitoring and Verification Mechanism."

Other protocols pertain to the security guarantees for the ELN, the locations where the guerrilla members can be present, the conditions for separating forces, social oversight, and mechanisms for humanitarian protection.

It is expected that the agreements reached by the Colombian Government and the ELN regarding the upcoming bilateral ceasefire will lead to an improvement in the situation in the territories where this insurgent group operates.

On August 14, the peace delegations from both parties will hold the fourth cycle of dialogue in Caracas, Venezuela.