Article Author:
Associated Press
Havana (AP) — A Colombian guerrilla group In a gesture of goodwill, he released six prisoners before peace talks with the government of new President Gustavo Petro.
The release of the soldiers was a "unilateral humanitarian gesture" acknowledging the Colombian government's efforts to facilitate the resumption of dialogue, according to a protest known in Spanish. The government-affiliated National Liberation Army said: Acronym ELN.
The Associated Press received a guerrilla statement on Thursday. It contained images of soldiers during the liberation, as several rebels in uniform stood nearby.
Petro and his ELN representatives met in Cuba last week to explore the possibility of resuming negotiations. The dialogue was interrupted by former President Yván Duque in 2019 after guerrillas blew up a police academy in Bogota, killing more than 20 cadets.
After this incident, Colombian authorities issued an arrest warrant for his ELN leader in Cuba. Cuba refused to extradite them, arguing that doing so would undermine its neutral status in the conflict.
The United States subsequently placed Cuba on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Founded in the 1960s, the ELN has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.
In 2016, Colombia signed a peace deal with a larger rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Sign up to receive daily top stories from National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
Thank you for registering.
Sending welcome email. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder.
The next issue of NP Posted will arrive in your inbox shortly.