Colombia Conflict: Ceasefire with Dissident Farc Rebels Suspended

23/05/2023

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has suspended a ceasefire with a dissident FARC rebel group in the four regions where it is most active.

The suspension was triggered by the killing of four indigenous teenagers by the left-wing rebel group EMC-FARC.

It comes just two months after Mr. Petro put on hold a ceasefire with another of Colombia's armed groups, the Gulf Clan.

OPIAC, an umbrella group representing indigenous groups in Colombia's Amazon region, had been the first to denounce the murder of the four youngsters.

According to OPIAC, the four, who are members of the Murui indigenous group, had been forcibly recruited by the left-wing rebels. 

President Petro said that "all offensive operations" against the group would be reactivated in those four provinces within 72 hours.

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