Arrr, ye scurvy ELN rebels be sayin' they'll halt their ransom kidnappin' if the government be agreein' to a cease-fire and fork over some doubloons!
2023-12-26
Arrr, the scurvy Marxist ELN rebel crew o' Colombia be blabberin' 'bout suspendin' kidnappin' o' landlubbers, but only if the government be coughin' up gold for projects that'd line their pockets. Aye, they be wantin' to turn the tables, savvy?
In a humorous tone, the head of Colombia's largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), announced that the group will only stop kidnapping civilians for ransom if the government fulfills its promise to finance projects that can provide the rebels with alternate sources of income. The ELN's commander, Antonio García, argued that the government and journalists had misinformed the public when they announced the rebels' agreement to suspend kidnappings. According to García, the government had also agreed to create a committee during the recent peace talks that would determine how to finance the peace process and the current ceasefire.The ELN's demand for public funding to be linked to the suspension of kidnappings marks a setback for Colombia's first leftist government, which saw the rebels' agreement to halt abductions as a significant step towards peace. The conflict between the government and the ELN dates back to the 1960s, and while the larger rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), reached a peace deal with the government in 2016, the ELN still has thousands of fighters in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela.
The current talks between the government and the ELN began in November 2022 and resulted in a six-month ceasefire set to end on January 30. However, little progress has been made on other fronts. In October, Colombian officials pressured the ELN to stop kidnapping civilians for ransom after they abducted the parents of soccer star Luis Díaz. Díaz's mother was quickly rescued, but his father was released after 12 days of protests and mediation efforts.
Despite the pressure, García warned that the ELN would not be forced into giving up kidnappings, stating that no agreement had been reached on political, judicial, or economic detentions. Colombia's Defense Ministry estimates that the ELN is currently holding at least 38 hostages.