Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country's last active rebel group, have agreed a truce, marking a significant step towards ending nearly 60 years of conflict. The ELN announced it would cease hostilities from Thursday, ahead of a full ceasefire scheduled for August.
Colombia's defence minister confirmed that the armed forces would also be instructed to halt offensives from that time. However, the ELN stated it would defend itself if attacked by the military or other armed groups.
The six-month ceasefire, agreed last week, is due to come into force on 3 August. If it holds, it would be the longest halt in the conflict since the ELN took up arms against the state in 1964. However, scepticism remains, as ELN members killed three policemen on the day the ceasefire was announced, and government forces killed six ELN soldiers a week earlier.
President Gustavo Petro, a former member of the now-defunct M-19 rebel group, promised to bring 'total peace' to Colombia when he took office last year. He has yet to sign the ceasefire decree, according to local media. The ELN and the government are due to continue peace negotiations in Venezuela from August.
Previous negotiations with the ELN as part of the 2016 peace deal with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) failed. That deal, though shaky at times, ended the longest guerrilla conflict in the Americas. The ELN, which has thousands of members, is accused of funding its activities through drug trafficking and illegal mining. Humanitarian groups report that thousands have been displaced due to fighting between armed groups.
