ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 31, 2023 / 10:00 am
The delegate for the Colombian Bishops’ Conference (CEC) for Church-state relations, Monsignor Héctor Fabio Henao Gaviria, explained the role of the Church as part of the monitoring and verification mechanism of the cease-fire between the government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group.
The 180-day cease-fire will go into effect Aug. 3 following what was agreed upon in the third round of talks that took place in Havana, Cuba, as one more step in the efforts to achieve a peace agreement and end more than six decades of violence.
Horacio Guerrero, a member of the government delegation, explained to Caracol Radio that during this period acts that violate the freedoms of people, such as armed checkpoints, kidnappings, and extortions, may not be committed.
In addition, there will be periodic reports from the monitoring and verification mechanism that the United Nations is also part of.