The uncertainty facing the peace talks between the Duque Government and the ELN is still alive

While Iván Duque, during the General Assembly of the UN, stated that the government's negotiating team is not yet in place to reactivate the peace talks with the ELN, as reported by FM, the guerrilla group delegation for the peace process, posted on Twitter the empty chair of the Government to resume talks.

Leer en español: Colombia: ¿Cómo va el proceso de paz con el ELN?

"Here we are ready. Missing the counterpart: we must comply with what was agreed, "the ELN published in its social network

Duque's response, upon hearing the publication of Twitter, was: "Before talking about guarantors or non-guarantors, what I think is important is to talk about the premises of an agreement, I am willing to establish a dialogue with the ELN , but you have listened to it: I hope that the basis of the construction of a dialogue is the liberation of all those who were kidnapped and that the criminal activities will end".

The ELN responded. He did so through a statement posted on his website where they report that two indigenous minors belonging to the U'wa community were released on 3 September. And they did the same with another one on the 19th of the same month.

Why reactivate the peace dialogues with the ELN?

The combats in 11 municipalities of the Catatumbo region, Norte de Santander, between the ELN and the EPL, could be a strong reason to make a peace process with the ELN. This would put an end to the difficult situation that, according to the EFE agency, left more than 154,000 people affected.

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In addition, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), "crimes against the population have increased since the fighting began on March 14, which has generated the displacement of 8,820 people. "

The aforementioned organization revealed, in a communiqué, that the 20 schools that were used to relocate civilians displaced by the risk they ran when they were in the middle of the bullets, left 12,000 children and adolescents without access to education. What becomes another argument to reactivate the peace dialogues.

Also, the installation of anti-personnel mines among other explosive devices has led to nearly 4,000 indigenous Bari, 25 communities of Tibú, El Tarra, Convention, and El Carmen, are on alert for the danger they run their lives, reports El Tiempo.

Recently, information from the Communal Action Boards of El Tarra, Teorama and La Playa de Belén delivered to Blu Radio, confirmed that the fighting resumed, leaving two civilians seriously injured. "The reports indicate that the wounded present rifle shots and respond to the names of José Guerrero, 84, and his son Luis Alfonso Guerrero. Both, due to the severity of the injuries, were transferred by ambulance to the hospital Emiro Quintero Cañizares de Ocaña.

Hence, the question arises: How many more casualties or possible deaths will there be if the peace talks are not resumed?

What is the position of the ELN?

Aureliano Carbonel, a member of the peace team of the armed group, said in an interview with Alba Tv that he hopes that Iván Duque will not end the peace dialogues and will not accept government conditions.

However, the ELN is open to talking about changes or conditions, "despite being outside the agreed upon" as the spokesman says. He also tells the Duke Government "if there is something to adjust, we should sit down and talk about it and we look at it between the two to improve what we are bringing up to now".

It must be said that the will of peace of the ELN, which not only demands Duke but Colombian society in general, is the end of their acts of violence. This action will serve as a gesture of peace that should ignite the engine to start the peace process and with this decrease and avoid the future victims who leave combats of this armed group with other groups that are paramilitary but call themselves "Clan del Golfo", "Clan Úsuga" or "Los Urabeños". As with other armed forces that tarnish the national panorama of violence such as the "EPL", the "Black Eagles" and the dissent that did not accept the peace process with the FARC, now a political party.

The peace process must be understood not as "a process of subjection of the insurgency," says Carbonel, but as "an agreement that allows violence to continue to be used to exercise politics." That clarification is of great importance, since that very likely the leaders will not want to jail their crimes but with another type of justice, for example, repairing the victims, telling them the truth of the acts committed or being part of productive projects while serving their sentences, that, at a certain moment, stipulate the Special Justice for Peace (JEP).

LatinAmerican Post | Edwin Guerrero Nova

Translated from: 'Colombia: ¿Cómo va el proceso de paz con el ELN?'

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