On August 7, he became the president of Colombia, the leftist, Gustavo Petro, and since the beginning his government has aimed to achieve “total peace”. After several interviews with armed groups, Petro announced on 1 January 2023 that the Government had signed a truce with five groups.

Three guerrilla teams, the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Central State of Dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Second Marquetalia, and two paramilar groups (AGC), the Gaitan Self-Defense of Colombia and the Sierra Nevada teams), have agreed on the truce. The SNBE Unilateral Cease-fire, in force from 24 December to 2 January, shall be extended by this Convention.

The pact will be in force until 30 June, but Petro has announced the possibility of extending it “depending on the progress of the negotiations”. The President has said through social media that “total peace will be a reality”. In September, when the talks with the dissidents of the FARC began, the guerrillas made clear what for them is “total peace”: “Eliminate the causes of social and armed conflict”.

Cut actions under UN surveillance

The President reports that the signing of the ceasefire by both sides implies an obligation to respect both the Colombian State and the armed groups, and that there will be a mechanism to verify it, at the national and international levels. This responsibility will lie with the UN accreditation mission, the Organization of American States, the Ombudsman and the Catholic Church. Once the consequences of this truce have been assessed, the way forward will be decided.

The Government has pointed out that the main objective of the agreement is to “break the human influence” of citizens, and especially of ethnic and peasant communities. It has specified that they will stop offensive acts and prevent armed disturbances between the Force and the armed groups. According to the research institute Indepaz, in 2022 there were 94 massacres in Colombia, killing 189 social leaders and 42 peace signatories.