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Colombia Rebel Group Agrees to Halt Kidnappings in Peace Talks
(Bloomberg) -- A Colombian rebel group that kidnapped the parents of one of the country’s soccer stars in October has agreed to stop holding people for ransom as part of peace talks with the state.
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The National Liberation Army, known as the ELN, also promised to continue a ceasefire that has been in place in recent months, bringing a measure of calm to the Latin American nation, daily El Espectador reported.
President Gustavo Petro’s government last week reached a deal with another rebel group, the EMC, to end the lucrative kidnappings as part of an ongoing effort to wrangle with the country’s armed groups.
Rebel groups that emerged largely from Colombia’s impoverished countryside have been in talks with the government after six decades of fighting. A previous administration struck a deal with the country’s largest rebel group in 2016.
Read More: Colombia Agrees Cease-Fire With Guerrillas Fighting Since 1964
Petro, a former guerrilla who embraced democratic politics early in his career, launched formal peace talks with the dissidents after he took power, a win for a government that has struggled to get its agenda passed by Congress.
The ELN, the nation’s oldest guerrilla group, had kidnapped the parents of Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz in October. His mother was rescued within hours while his father was released after about two weeks.
Read More: How Colombia’s First Leftist Presidency Was Derailed: QuickTake
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