An armed faction of Colombia’s disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels has said they are ready to engage in peace talks with the government next month in what could mark a turning point for leftist President Gustavo Petro’s quest for “total peace.”
Petro, a former member of the urban rebel group M-19, pledged to end six decades of an armed conflict that has killed more than 450,000 people by signing peace or surrender agreements with rebels and criminal gangs, in addition to fully implementing the pact with the FARC. The Estado Mayor Central (EMC) is one of two breakaway factions of the FARC and is made up of former leaders and fighters who did not accept the 2016 peace deal that paved the way for FARC rebels to lay down arms and form a political party.
Attorney General Francisco Barbosa suspended arrest warrants against more than 20 EMC members in early March, which facilitated the start of peace talks to be held in the Llano del Yari, on the border between the departments of Meta and Caqueta, in the south of the country. Colombia’s opposition frequently criticizes Petro for the concessions he is willing to make to armed and criminal groups, for peace.
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