After Hiccups in Colombia’s Peace Talks, Rebels Announce Unilateral Ceasefire

“The national government, from July 20, will launch a process of de-escalation of military action in response to the suspension of offensive actions by the FARC”, the statement read, referring to a unilateral ceasefire announced by FARC leaders earlier in the week.

Now it looks as though FARC is trying to smooth relations out by calling for a new unilateral ceasefire. An external actor with the political, military or moral weight to supervise a bilateral truce can make the cost of failure appear greater for both sides, and thus encourage them to work to keep it in place.

Speaking about the wariness of the Colombian people when it comes to negotiating for peace with FARC, De la Calle said, “The harsh truth is that Colombians don’t believe in the peace process”. Chile and Venezuela are “escort” countries.

The government and the FARC have also asked for a UN delegate and representative from the Union of South American Nations to help start discussions on monitoring the end of the half-century conflict.

To accelerate talks, they agreed to alter the structure, putting all remaining issues on the table at once instead of adhering to one topic at a time.

FARC had been observing a preliminary ceasefire from December of past year, but hostilities broke out again last April, when a group of rebels ambushed a group of Colombian soldiers, killing 11 of them.

Furthermore, in anticipation of possible retaliatory attacks by the FARC, the Armed Forces have mobilized troops around the nation and have significantly increased the numbers of soldiers and patrols in areas where the rebels have an active presence, leading to the possibility of more skirmishes and massacres.

The FARC’s decision to implement a month-long unilateral ceasefire could put the peace talks back on track, provided these and other lessons are taken into account.

Since that truce ended, about 30 rebels have been killed in army operations and recent surveys show the public is increasingly wary about the peace process. The government responded by resuming aerial bombings of rebel positions.

As the primary guerrilla force, the FARC have been engaged in war with the Colombian government since then, and this war has claimed more than 220,000 lives and displaced several million more.

The skirmish erupted in the western Cauca department when the FARC, who are holding captive a wounded military officer, detonated an explosive device.