Gustavo Petro calls for “general disarmament” of armed groups in Colombia.

President of Colombia Gustavo Petrocalled on armed groups operating in the country this Saturday for “general disarmament” as the Colombian Congress works to call for a “big ceasefire summit.”

In the municipality of Ituango in northwestern Colombia, a rural area that knows violence and the logic of conflict, Gustavo Petro he called in the first phase “for a multilateral ceasefire to enter into a concrete negotiating process”.

So far, the president has reiterated that he has received letters from virtually all armed formations “saying that they want peace”, but “we must move from words to actions”, and this implies negotiations, with some political groups, but with other legal ones. those submitting to justice.

“Action can start if we start this dialogue with a multilateral cessation of hostilities, the ceasefire that I propose to these factions across the country will be implemented,” the president said.

For his part, government peace commissioner Danilo Rueda told the media that they “are in the process of inviting all armed groups to participate in establishing a complete peace. At this stage, several groups have shown their willingness to participate. in this edifice of total peace.”

Petro arrived in this Colombian municipality this Saturday to join a visit by congressmen from the Senate Peace Commission who are touring the 60 municipalities hardest hit by the conflict, shortly after presidential security discovered at least one kilometer of explosive substances.

“The fangs have tested positive for an explosive situation. In order to provide and provide greater security in the area, a counter-charge is activated so that if there is another explosive device, it is controlled and handled in a controlled manner,” he told the media. Antioquia Police Commander Colonel Daniel Mazo.

The police forces, however, controlled the situation, which passed without much trouble, but which came just three days after another outpost of Petro was attacked by unidentified gunfire in the countryside of the troubled department of Catatumbo.

CEASEFIRE SUMMIT

For his part, the chairman of the Peace Commission, Senator of the ruling Historical Pact, Ivan Cepeda, announced that in the coming weeks they are going to convene the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as “all public organizations, to create a national mobilization around a multilateral ceasefire.”

This is a summit to be held in Bogota “to demand a ceasefire from all armed groups,” said Cepeda, who is also part of a government delegation that recently traveled to Havana to meet with representatives of the National Liberation Army (ELN). resume negotiations.

Thus, they suggest that it will be “an initiative that aims at a national ceasefire, calling on all armed groups to stop acts of violence, armed clashes, forced recruitment, population displacement, population isolation, and we can create the conditions for complete peace.” Cepeda said.

During a visit to Ituango, which was joined by other authorities, these proposals were welcomed by the head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Mathieu.

“Any ceasefire that happens in the territories will only lead to less violence, it will benefit the communities. This is a welcome call. We hope that he will be heard,” commented Ruiz Massier.

(EFE)