Colombia's FARC Say Unilateral Cease-Fire at Risk

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC guerrillas, issued a statement Saturday, warning that its unilateral cease-fire—launched by the rebel group in July this year—was at risk due to ongoing military operations by the Colombian army.

“The government's failure to fulfill its commitment of responding to the FARC's cease-fire with a similar gesture of military de-escalation of the conflict establishes a very negative precedent that damages trust and credibility,” reads the statement.

The FARC further requested an urgent meeting with the international delegations of Chile, Cuba, Venezuela, Norway as well as United States' Delegate Bernard Aronson, German Delegate Tom Koenigs and the European Union's special envoy Eamon Gilmore, to brief them on the issue.

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“The military pressure against the guerrillas amid the cease-fire does not correspond to the advances made in agreements and the peaceful environment that prevails around the region, which could be seen with the most recent electoral campaign,” reads the group's text.

The statement comes a day after the government and the guerrilla group agreed to invite the United Nations and UNASUR to monitor a potential bilateral cease-fire.

“(The army's operations are not) consistent with the recent presidential declarations regarding the possibility of reaching a bilateral cease-fire before the final (peace) agreement,” the statement explained.

Last week, four FARC militants were killed in combat and two were arrested in a surprise military operation in the department of Caqueta.

The Colombian government and the FARC are close to reaching a final agreement on victims' reparation, one of the most complex points in the negotiations agenda.

Since the FARC's unilateral cease-fire came into effect, Colombia has seen the lowest levels of armed clashes in years.