The guerrillas have already chosen their representatives for the peace negotiations
The most important of the guerrillas inheriting from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the one led by what is known as the Central General Staff, announced this Monday in a public act that peace negotiations with the Government will begin on May 16. .
The announcement was made at a public event held this Sunday in the Yarí savannahs, in the Colombian department of Caquetá, where some 6,000 people have gathered representing peasant and ethnic organizations from 16 departments and in which the head of the guerrilla, Néstor Vera Fernández, alias ‘Iván Mordisco’.
Together with ‘Iván Mordisco’ there have also been other leaders of this guerrilla such as Martín Pérez Castro, ‘Richard’, head of the 33rd Front; Alexander Díaz Mendoza, alias ‘Calarcá Córdoba’, and Ebimilec Eregua Torres, alias ‘Alonso 45’. All veterans of the former Eastern Bloc of the FARC.
Also present were Óscar Eduardo Sandoval, ‘El Mocho’, head of the Cauca dissidents; Antonio Medina, from the 10th Front of Arauca, and alias ‘Erika’. Many of them carry the emblems of the old FARC and it has been possible to see flags, bracelets and the insignia on the guerrilla buttons.
The guerrillas presented the conclusions of the meeting of commanders and their proposals for the peace talks with the Government of Gustavo Petro.
Thus, the group has confirmed that the ceasefire verification mechanism will be installed on April 26, as announced last week by the High Commissioner for Peace, Danilo Rueda.
The event was held at Casa Roja, between Caquetania and El Diamante, after the summit of commands of the Central General Staff held in the last 15 days, since April 3. The commanders of the 23 guerrilla fronts, which operate in 16 departments of the country, were present at the meeting.
There they discussed their proposals for the negotiation agenda that they will present to the government of Gustavo Petro and elected their delegates for the negotiating table and for the Oversight, Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MVMV) of the bilateral ceasefire.
Peasant delegations have also participated in the Casa Roja meeting, which have demanded to participate in the peace process and have presented a series of demands and proposals that they have delivered to the guerrilla leadership.
Initially, the high commissioner for peace of the Colombian government, Danilo Rueda; delegates from the embassies of Norway, the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, the UN Verification Mission and the Catholic Church, but their presence was canceled last Thursday for various reasons, including the refusal of the guerrillas to be unarmed and not in uniform during the event. What was going to be a joint act has remained an act organized and carried out exclusively by the guerrillas.
The Central General Staff is the largest currently active dissidence. It is led by ‘Iván Mordisco’ since the death of Miguel Botache Santillana, alias ‘Gentil Duarte’ and has about 3,000 combatants who did not accept the Final Agreement signed in 2016.
Petro announced the opening of a “second peace process” with the dissidence of the Central General Staff of the FARC. These negotiations are added to those currently underway with the other major guerrilla in the country, the National Liberation Army (ELN).
