Colombia considers suspending EMC ceasefire after bombings: Defense Minister

By Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian President Gustavo Petro is considering completely lifting a ceasefire with the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) rebel group, Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said on Tuesday, after two bombings were attributed to the group in the southeastern province of Cauca.

The explosions in the towns of Jamundi and Morales occurred on Monday. The bomb in Morales killed four people, including two police officers.

“It has been the subject of reflection and discussion and is still being analyzed,” Velasquez told reporters. “The president is weighing all the elements we have provided and ultimately he will determine when and where there will be a ceasefire or not.”

The 3,500 EMC fighters are rebels who rejected a groundbreaking 2016 peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), formerly the country’s largest guerrilla organization.

Petro has promised to end the 60-year conflict that has claimed 450,000 lives through new peace agreements, but he faces significant hurdles, including difficult negotiations with the EMC that began last year.

The EMC began peace talks with the Petro government last year, but due to the violence, Petro partially suspended the ceasefire it had agreed with it in three provinces in March.

The group has established a pseudo-state in parts of southern Colombia, building roads and schools, further complicating talks.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, writing by Julia Symmes Cobb)