Representatives of the ELN and the Colombian government met in Caracas in 2022, accompanied by Norway, Cuba, and Venezuela as guarantor countries. Photo: Colombian Presidency.
Guacamaya, March 11, 2025. The Colombian government announced this Tuesday the convening of a “Peace Congress” on April 5 in Bogotá, in an attempt to revive the construction of social agreements following the suspension of negotiations with the ELN guerrilla group.
The event aims to bring together civil organizations, human rights defenders, and humanitarian actors to form a national movement to curb violence, despite the intensification of the conflict in areas such as Catatumbo, where 70 people have died and over 50,000 have been displaced since January.
The Government’s Peace Delegation, led by former House Representative Vera Grabe and Senator Iván Cepeda, confirmed that the congress will seek to “listen to communities” and renew the commitment to peace as a “common cause,” even after the freeze in talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The decision comes in a critical context: President Gustavo Petro suspended talks with the ELN on January 17, accusing the guerrilla group of committing “war crimes” for the murder of former FARC members in Catatumbo, a region bordering Venezuela. There, clashes between the ELN and the FARC dissident group Front 33 have escalated, resulting in a death toll the government describes as “unacceptable.”
Despite the formal breakdown of the negotiation table, the negotiating team insisted that “the path to peace as a means of transformation is not suspended.” In a statement, they emphasized that the congress is not a replacement for dialogue but a space to “articulate territorial peace” and build solutions from civil society.
Venezuela has on multiple occasions hosted meetings between the Colombian government and the ELN delegations for peace talks.
“Many sectors persist in finding ways to overcome violence. We want to form a national movement rooted in the diversity of the territories,” explained the delegation. The event will include the participation of social collectives, regional leaders, and humanitarian organizations, who will analyze strategies to halt the conflict and protect vulnerable populations.
According to its organizers, the call reaffirms the Petro government’s commitment to prioritizing peace as a state policy, even without the ELN at the table. Meanwhile, international organizations warn of the risk of a new humanitarian crisis in areas such as Chocó, Nariño, and the Catatumbo region itself, where violence continues unabated.
