Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Sunday the suspension of a ceasefire with a dissident armed group known as Estado Mayor Central, following an attack on an Indigenous community. The group, which split from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in 2016, violated the truce by carrying out an assault in the war-torn western region of Cauca.
Indigenous leaders reported that the attack resulted in injuries to at least three individuals, with a young student being forcibly taken away. President Petro expressed his disappointment in the group's actions, accusing them of using peace negotiations as a guise to bolster their military strength.
This decision to halt the ceasefire deals a political setback to Petro, who had campaigned on a platform of achieving 'total peace' in a country plagued by prolonged armed conflict. Despite efforts to address the root causes of unrest such as poverty, ongoing conflicts persist in various rural areas of Colombia.
The implementation of the peace accord with the FARC rebels has faced challenges, leading to a resurgence of former combatants taking up arms against the government. This has further complicated the landscape, with drug cartels and guerrilla factions vying for control and power.
A recent report from a United Nations agency highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in Colombia, indicating that over 8 million people are in need of assistance due to the escalating armed conflict across the country.
