The Government of Colombia said today that it will end a ceasefire with the largest faction of the FARC-EMC, a resistant rebel group that refused to sign a 2016 peace agreement.
The Colombian Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, highlighted in a press conference that the FARC-EMC ("Central General Staff-FARC") was divided into two factions.
Velásquez also explained that the ceasefire with the smaller faction of the group will be extended for three months, while peace negotiations with the government continue, reported the Associated Press (AP).
The FARC-EMC was founded by fighters who refused to adhere to a peace agreement between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that led to the disarmament of more than 13,000 rebels and their integration into civilian life.
The Colombian military estimates the resistance group has more than 4,400 fighters operating in southwestern Colombia, the Amazon Piedmont and the Catatumbo region, along Colombia's border with Venezuela.
The group's two factions are led by commanders Iván Mordisco and Marcos Calaca. The Mordisco faction has been involved in clashes with the Colombian military since March, when the government lifted a regional ceasefire after fighters loyal to Mordisco attacked an indigenous community.
The Colombian Government said it will now launch military offensives against Mordisco's fighters in other parts of the country as well.
The faction led by Marcos Calarca continues to hold talks with the Government and will benefit from a three-month ceasefire that ends on October 15th.
Colombia's military said this faction includes approximately 40% of EMC fighters.
Velásquez stressed that the Calarca faction must cease attacks on community leaders and former FARC combatants so that the ceasefire can be maintained.
The administration of Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, began peace talks with most of the country's remaining rebel groups, under a policy known as total peace.
But while some crimes have declined, such as the assassinations of human rights leaders, other security indicators have worsened as these groups fight over drug trafficking routes, illegal mines and territory.
According to a report published on Monday by the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation, a think tank that monitors violence in Colombia, kidnappings increased by almost 50% last year, while the number of illegal roadblocks and shootings also increased. significantly in the first half of this year.
The group said FARC EMC fighters were present in 157 municipalities in Colombia a year ago, but now operate in 209 of the country's 1,100 municipalities.
