Difficult situation in Colombia

The government in Colombia has suspended peace talks with the guerrilla organisation ELN for the time being.

After the rebels have carried out a series of attacks, on Monday, 12.02.2018, the Prosecutor General's Office put 27 ELN leaders out to search. The guerrillas, including rebel commander Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista alias "Gabino", are accused of rebellion, murder and the forced recruitment of minors. At the end of January, the government suspended negotiations with the ELN indefinitely following a series of bomb attacks on police stations, resulting in deaths and injuries. On the weekend, the guerrilla group launched an offensive and blew up bridges, toll stations and roads. The operation should last until Tuesday. The new attacks are a serious setback for the peace process in the South American country. "It will be very difficult to resume talks," said Colombia's President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Juan Manuel Santos.

Source: nzz.ch (accessed on 14.02.2018) / Image: eln-voces.com (accessed on 14.02.2018)