The UN Extends the Mandate of Its Mission in Colombia

On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extended the mandate of the United Nations mission in Colombia to oversee the agreed ceasefire between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

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The resolution proposed by the United Kingdom was unanimously adopted by all 15 member countries of the Security Council, in response to a request from President Gustavo Petro.

This decision allows for the reinforcement of the UN mission in Colombia, including the addition of 68 international observers and the necessary civilian support staff to undertake these new tasks. Farhan Haq, the spokesperson for the United Nations Secretariat, assured that the UN is ready to assume the responsibilities entrusted by the Council.

On June 9, the Colombian state and the ELN signed a bilateral ceasefire in La Habana. This agreement will come into effect on Thursday and will be in place until January 29.

The monitoring and verification of the ceasefire will be carried out through a mechanism involving the Colombian security forces, the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, the ELN, the Episcopal Conference, and the UN Verification Mission.

The UNSC's decision gives the green light for the Verification Mission to assume its responsibility in this task. It also indicates the UN's readiness to oversee a ceasefire between the Colombian government and the Central High Command (EMC), the main dissident group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), if it is reinstated.

In July, the Petro administration and the EMC announced an agreement to establish a peace negotiation table. This came after the Colombian government partially suspended the bilateral ceasefire with the EMC in response to the murder of four Indigenous children.

The UN established a special mission in 2016 to verify the ceasefire between the Colombian state and the FARC. Since 2017, it has been responsible for verifying parts of the peace agreement.