Colombia - March 2023
Setbacks to peace process as rebel group and cartel renew violence
President Gustavo Petro’s government has experienced setbacks to its plans for peace in Colombia. Authorities announced the suspension of a ceasefire that had been put in place in the past months with the main drug trafficking group operating in the country, the Gulf Clan, and announced that military operations against this group would be renewed. The government alleges the Gulf Clan did not respect the ceasefire and has instigated terror among civil population. Petro’s plan for total peace has also suffered a blow due to renewed violence, after an army base was attacked with mortar shells, which the government attributes to the National Liberation Army (ELN). Nine soldiers were killed. While a cease-fire with the rebel group had not yet been agreed, peace talks had been undertaken in previous months after a stalemate of years.
