Meeting Between the Colombian Government and FARC Dissidents: When Will the Dialogue Table Begin?

The delegations of the Colombian Government and the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the main dissident of the now dissolved FARC, started this Sunday in a rural area of Suárez, in the department of Cauca, a meeting that will last three days and in which will address the date of installation of the peace talks table and a ceasefire.

This was reported by the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace (OACP) on its X (former Twitter): "In Suárez, Cauca, a meeting began between the delegations of the national government and the EMC of the FARC-EP, with the support of the international community".

"Progress will be made on issues such as the date for the installation of the Dialogue Table, ceasefire and protection mechanisms for the civilian population," added the OCAP.

The meeting will end tomorrow, Tuesday the 19th, with a press conference in which the start date of peace negotiations and a bilateral ceasefire are expected to be announced, two important steps since the Government and this FARC dissident have had a big part of this year trying to reach those agreements in the midst of scuffles.

Dilated dialogue

In fact, the Government and the EMC already had a ceasefire that began in January and that was partially broken in May – before the established six months were up – in four departments, after the dissidents murdered four indigenous minors whom they had previously recruited.

Read also: Colombia: Peace Delegations Meet With Dissidents In The Southwest Of The Country

Furthermore, the dialogue table was scheduled to be set up in May, as announced by the guerrilla, a date that was finally postponed.

On the other hand, the Jaime Martínez front of the EMC announced on Friday a "unilateral suspension of offensive actions" in its area of operations in view of the meeting being held in Cauca.

However, in recent weeks the EMC has been under the public eye due to an increase in offensive actions precisely in Cauca, where a wave of violence has frightened entire communities.

The dissidents attacked police stations in the towns of Buenos Aires, Suárez, Mondomo and Cajibío since last weekend. These harassments left one civilian dead and another injured in Mondomo, in the municipality of Santander de Quilichao, according to the Cauca Regional Indigenous Council (CRIC).

On the other hand, in recent days an attack by dissidents in the municipality of Jambaló frightened the population who saw attacks and attacks by criminals against Army helicopters over the weekend.

The EMC, commanded by "Iván Mordisco", is made up of about 3,000 people who have managed to advance and control more territory while they have multiplied their attacks against public forces in recent months.