Petro announced that a peace table would be established with el Estado Mayor Central (EMC), a former dissident of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who did not lay down arms.
Petro, who did not share details about the process, said in his statement on his Twitter account, “A second peace process is starting. A peace table will be established between the government and el Estado Mayor Central.” used the phrase.
In his statement, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa stated that the arrest warrants of 19 members of the EMC have been suspended at the request of the government to advance a possible peace negotiation.
“I have decided to suspend these arrest warrants today, and it is important to note that none of the persons requested in Decision 039 had extradition arrest warrants,” Barbosa said. made its assessment.
Following the signing of a peace agreement between the state and the FARC in November 2016, Ivan Mordisco, the leader of the EMC armed group, opposed the process and did not join the peace agreement.
6-month ceasefire agreement
President Petro announced on January 2 that a six-month ceasefire had been reached with the armed rebel organization National Liberation Army (ELN) and 4 other armed groups.
In addition to the ELN, the armed organizations that have made a ceasefire include the Marquetalia Central Command, el Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the Colombian Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces and the Sierra Nevada Self-Defense Forces.
Left-wing Gustavo Petro, who won the presidential election in Colombia and took over on August 7, 2021, promised to implement a policy of total peace in the country when he came to power.