Colombian President slams ELN decision to resume kidnappings

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 May 2024 10:09

President Gustavo Petro says magistrate accusations are the debut of a "coup d'état in Colombia," similar to what's happened in other Latin American countries.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro holds a ceremony to formally begin a six-month cease-fire as part of a process to forge permanent peace with the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Bogota, Colombia, August 3, 2023. (AP)

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday that the path to peace" is not to turn "the human body into a commodity" after the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia announced that it would lift the suspension on kidnappings.

The reason, according to the ELN, was due to delays by the Colombian government in establishing a fund that would allow the organization to sustain itself through third-party donations.

"So far, the fund hasn't been established, and the government shows little will to advance in this field," the ELN had said in an earlier statement, on Tuesday, adding, "Given the above, the ELN terminates its offer to unilaterally suspend economic detentions."

In response, on Wednesday, the government clarified that there was no agreement linking the cessation of kidnappings to the establishment of a fund, and emphasized that there is no specified deadline for creating such a fund.

"The government delegation has always made it clear to the ELN that trade with human beings has no kind of justification and its elimination is not the subject of any transaction," the government said, adding, "Kidnapping only leads to drug trafficking. The path to peace is not to turn...the human body into a commodity."

Despite the hiccups, the ELN stated that it remains open to pursuing new agreements aligned with the goal of achieving a political resolution to the conflict.

It is important to note that negotiations with the ELN have been conducted under Petro's "total peace" policy, aiming to demobilize all remaining rebel groups in the country and resolve a conflict that has persisted since the 1960s.

ELN split, dissidents recognized

A faction of the ELN, known as the Southern Community Front, has parted ways with the group's central command, marking the guerrillas' first dissident faction. Colombia's government officially recognized this faction as an independent organization on Wednesday.

"Consequently, [the government] will treat this group from Narino as a distinct and independent organization from the national organization, with which it holds political negotiations," the government's peace commissioner's office said in a statement.

The Southern Community Front, active in Colombia's Narino province, declared its separation from the broader ELN on Tuesday. This split was promptly confirmed by Pablo Beltran, the leader of the ELN's peace delegation.

Reportedly, analysts have suggested that the splintering of the ELN could pose obstacles to the total peace policy advocated by the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro.

Petro slams accusations amid historic ELN negotiations

In parallel to the dispute with the ELN, and according to two sources on Wednesday, two out of nine magistrates on Colombia's National Electoral Council (CNE) have called for an investigation into alleged spending violations during Colombian President Gustavo Petro's 2022 campaign.

The magistrates, Benjamin Ortiz and Alvaro Hernan Prada, have also requested an investigation into Ricardo Roa, the CEO of Ecopetrol who acted as Petro's campaign manager.

In turn, Petro, speaking at an event in Cartagena, dubbed the move as "deeply unconstitutional and the beginning of a coup d'état in Colombia" highlighting, "They announced today that 11 and a half million Colombians will lose their political rights. Not because a criminal judge has ruled that they are criminals, but because that is what the Colombian oligarchy and the corrupt regime have decided."

The Colombian President then explained that "They want to determine, as they have done in so many countries in Latin America, that the president of the republic, despite being elected by the people of Colombia, has to stop being president because four or five corrupt political vagabonds decided it."

Sources indicated that the electoral council magistrates will review the request for an investigation and decide whether to proceed with formal inquiries. If investigations move forward, Petro's case would be referred to the impeachment commission of the Chamber of Representatives.