Colombia's ELN Announces Unilateral Ceasefire During Elections

The National Liberation Army, or ELN, announced Monday it will stop all “offensive military operations” between March 9-13 as a “gesture of respect” for the Colombian voters.

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In a communique, the guerrilla group said that the decision was made because of the legislative elections scheduled on March 11, although they did not support “such corrupted electoral process.”

“Both parts agreed in developing the participation of civil society in the peacebuilding process, through a 'dynamic, active, inclusive, and pluralist mechanism that will allow building a common vision of peace-promoting transformation for the nation and the regions,'” read the statement, quoting the agreement reached in the Ecuadorean capital.

Ceasefire talks broke down Jan. 10 when Santos called his lead negotiator back to Colombia after receiving word that members of the ELN had allegedly attacked the state oil company, Colombian Petrol, in the departments of Boyaca and Arauca.

For more than a month, ELN leader Pablo Beltran – along with Colombian activists, academics, unions and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – has been urging Santos to return to the negotiation table to reach an enforceable ceasefire agreement.

If negotiations resume in the Ecuadorean capital, this would represent the fifth round of peace talks focusing on the participation of civil society in the process.