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Colombia president suspends ceasefire with armed rebel group following attack on indigenous community – JURIST

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Sunday that his government suspended the ceasefire with the EMC group of rebels in the departments of Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca. The announcement comes a day after the rebel group attacked an indigenous community in the country.An armed group on Saturday shot an indigenous guard in Toribío, Cauca—an indigenous community near the South American country’s western coast—when they were looking for a minor that the rebels were allegedly holding hostage. Petro has called the attack by the EMC on unarmed indigenous people a crime against humanity that must be judged.In October 2023, the Colombian government decreed a Bilateral and Temporary Ceasefire of a National Nature with a Territorial Impact (CFBTNT), a peace deal between the government and the Central General Staff of the rebel group FARC-EP. The deal was valid from October 17, 2023 until January 15, 2024. It was extended in January and again in February for another six months.Former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) formed the EMC rebel group following the failure of a 2016 attempt to negotiate peace between the FARC and the Colombian government. The two groups have been at the heart of conflict in the country for decades, triggered by the 1948 assassination of liberal political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán and an anti-communism movement, which led to the formation of two separate guerrilla groups: FARC and the National Liberation Army (ELN).Following Sunday’s suspension of the ceasefire, President Gustavo ordered the resumption of offensive military operations against the rebels. The order for the resumption of offensive military operations is set for Wednesday, March 20, in the Departments of Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca.