Bogota, May 27 (RHC)-- The Office of the Commissioner for Peace (OCCP) reported on Monday that it is expected that the 5th Cycle of Peace Dialogues with the FARC dissidents of the Central General Staff (EMC), part of this group that is still negotiating, will be held in the Colombian capital between June 20th and 26th.
The announcement comes after confirming the division of the EMC into two groups: a dissident group, commanded by “Iván Mordisco” which is unleashing a wave of violence especially in Cauca and the south of the country, and another smaller one that is still at the table.
According to the OCCP, the dissident group has carried out several attacks on police stations and military objectives in the department of Cauca, for which the Government has undertaken an offensive against them, while negotiations with the second group seem to be resumed and the cessation of the fire is still valid with them.
The Government's chief negotiator, Camilo González Posso, stated: "There are contrasts between what is on at the table with the preservation of the ceasefire, with territorial transformations as a bet, with the construction of a peace agenda, and what is happening in the department of Cauca and in the south of the country with events of escalating violence.”
González also denounced the "horrible massacre" that occurred in San José de la Fragua, between the departments of Caquetá and Putumayo, where there has been "a very serious situation." "This affects the people. This is not a simple situation between irregular forces that they kill each other, it generates panic in the population and it affects the communities," added the chief negotiator.
The attacks by this dissident group have intensified after the Government suspended the bilateral ceasefire in March in the departments of Nariño, Valle del Cauca and Cauca due to the violence of this armed group against indigenous people and against the public force.
In response, the Army has increased its offensive operations in recent months, becoming one of the stumbling blocks in peace negotiations between the Government and the EMC. However, negotiating actions have continued, since "peace despite these challenges is a task that cannot be postponed," the official concluded.
