Guerrilla group ELN declared a unilateral ceasefire in the days before and after the first round of Colombia’s presidential election on May 29.
In a statement, the decades-old group said that its command declared a unilateral ceasefire between May 25 and June 3 “so that those who want to vote can do so peacefully.”
The ELN said that “we reserve the right to defend us in case of an attack” by the security forces or rival illegal armed groups.
Before knowing who the winning candidate may be, we dare to create a new political moment, generating a better environment for the next election day on May 29. To this end, we decree a unilateral ceasefire from 0:00 hours on May 25, until 24:00 hours on June 3, for those who wish to vote, to do so in peace. This ceasefire only covers the government’s Military and Police Forces; we reserve the right to defend ourselves in case we are attacked.
ELN
The ceasefire would mainly affect regions where the guerrilla group effectively exercises territorial control.
The guerrillas also declared a unilateral ceasefire ahead of the March 13 congressional elections, and elections that were held in 2018 and 2019.
The unilateral ceasefire followed what the independent Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) called the most violent election year since 2010 in a recent report.
Electoral violence in Colombia doubled since 2018
Part of this violence was due to an ELN-ordered lockdown that left one community leader dead, according to the MOE.
According to think tank “Paz y Reconciliacion,” the ELN and other illegal armed groups have expanded their territorial control since President Ivan Duque took office in 2018.
The increasingly authoritarian president who is set to leave office on August 7.
