The dialogue table between the national government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) is going through one of its most critical moments. This Wednesday, February 18, the Central Command of the guerrilla issued a strong statement in which it accuses President Gustavo Petro of acting without good faith and of using peace approaches as a “military advantage.”
The insurgent group denounced that, less than 24 hours after meeting with emissaries of the Government and the Episcopal Conference in Catatumbo, the president ordered bombings in the same area, which they described as an act of perfidy that breaks confidence in the process.
The exchange of accusations escalated after the president accepted the proposal of alias ‘Antonio García’ to create an international commission to verify the ELN’s disconnection from drug trafficking.
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However, for the guerrillas, Petro’s response was a manipulation of their original approach. According to the ELN, the Government tries to use the issue of illicit drugs as a “smokescreen” to cover up its own corruption scandals.
“If Petro’s response were well-intentioned we would have to salute it, but it is not like that, from the start it distorts our proposal”stated the dialogue delegation in its letter, insisting that the good faith of the agreements is seriously affected.
Despite the attacks by the Military Forces in regions such as Arauca, where alias ‘Monchi’ recently fell, the ELN maintains that its proposal for a National Agreement still stands, but under conditions of mutual respect.
#ELN proposes a #NationalAgreement and him
responds to the National Government about the alleged use of perfidy and “anything goes” #GustavoPetro | #Colombia pic.twitter.com/hkA6WA1CKX— CORPADES ️ (@corpades) February 18, 2026
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