Colombia’s ELN rebels declare a unilateral ceasefire ahead of key congressional elections

Members of the Colombian guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN), from left, Aureliano Carbonel, Pablo Beltran and Antonio Garcia sit with Ivan Danilo Rueda, High Commissioner for Peace on behalf of the Colombian government, second from right, and government representative Ivan Cepeda, during a signing ceremony agreeing to resume peace talks, at the Casa Cultural Aquiles Nazoa in Caracas, Venezuela, Oct. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group declared a unilateral ceasefire Monday ahead of next month’s high-stakes congressional elections, which have already been marred by acts of violence against candidates in rural areas.

The National Liberation Army, or ELN, said in a statement published on its website that it will cease attacks against military and electoral authorities to allow for people to vote “in liberty,” but did not clarify when the ceasefire would end.

The rebel group has long been accused of attacking politicians who oppose its interests, and of controlling positions within municipal governments in its areas of influence as a way to capture public funds.

In its statement the group rejected those claims saying it is not an organization that seeks to win elections, adding that it “does not finance any campaigns as drug traffickers do.”

“For the ELN it is very important for the people to vote for whom they think is best, or to abstain if they feel that is most appropriate,” the statement read.

Colombia’s government broke off peace talks with the rebel group last year following a string of ELN attacks in the country’s northeast that forced more than 50,000 people to flee their homes.

On March 8, Colombia will elect a new Senate and House of Representatives, with candidates competing to fill more than 300 congressional seats.

Primaries will also be held to decide who will represent a left-wing coalition of parties and a center-right coalition in May’s presidential election.

The congressional elections will be a critical test for President Gustavo Petro as he attempts to build a congressional majority for his left-wing movement, the Historical Pact, which could potentially approve efforts to rewrite the nation’s constitution.

But the elections have already been affected by violence against candidates and campaigners in several parts of Colombia, where the influence of rebel groups has grown during the Petro administration.

Earlier this month, Indigenous Sen. Aida Quilcue was kidnapped while she travelled between two towns in the southwest Cauca region, but was released unharmed a few hours later, as the military deployed troops to rescue her.

In the east of the country, meanwhile, two bodyguards working for Sen. Jairo Castellanos were killed as ELN fighters fired on his caravan. The group said in a statement that they did not intend to attack the senator, but only shot at the vehicle because it refused to stop at one of its roadblocks.

Last year, conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe was shot during a rally in Bogota, and died of his injuries two months later. The killing marked the first attack against a Colombian presidential candidate in three decades, and forced some candidates in this year’s race to scale back their public appearances due to security concerns.

The Movement for Electoral Observation, a Colombian electoral watchdog, said earlier this month that in 11% of the nation’s municipalities there is an “extreme risk” that elections could be affected by violence.

The group bases its risk assessment on factors that include the presence of armed groups, recent cases of forced displacement and attacks on human rights defenders.

The Colombian Human Rights Office said Monday that immediate action was required to prevent political violence in 69 municipalities.

“The risks persist as illegal armed groups take hold” of regions, where “criminals have supplanted the state, regulate political campaigns and veto candidates,” the public agency said in a statement.

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Manuel Rueda, The Associated Press