The kidnapping of a sergeant in Colombia, a “moment of controversy” in the negotiation with the ELN

The National Liberation Army (ELN) kidnapped Colombian sergeant Libey Danilo Bravo a week ago, in the department of Arauca and on the border with Venezuela; confirmation of his retention is given in the middle of the second cycle of negotiations between the armed group and the Colombian State, a process that many hope can overcome this “moment of controversy”.

Already on Sunday, President Gustavo Petro condemned the kidnapping from his Twitter account and described it as a “sabotage of any possibility of peace.”

“I condemn the kidnapping of Sergeant Libey Danilo Bravo of the National Army. These are facts that sabotage any possibility of peace. These acts of violence against the Public Force and those that the communities suffer every day cannot have a place in our society.” wrote on Twitter the Colombian president.

For its part, the ELN’s Eastern War Front, which operates in the department of Arauca, said in a statement that “in the coming days they will deliver evidence of the soldier’s survival.”

The Colombian Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, has said that in the department of Arauca, armed groups have at least 12 people in their power and offered to facilitate their release.

“From the Ombudsman we request that the life and physical integrity of the people who are kidnapped or disappeared in Arauca be respected. We offer our humanitarian channels that allow the return to their homes of people reported as missing or in the power of illegal armed groups in that department,” said the Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, in a statement issued on Monday.

From Mexico, the seat of the peace negotiation between the Government of Colombia and the ELN, the pro-government senator Iván Cepeda and a member of the peace delegation, assured that the retention of the soldier does not represent any risk of suspending the talks.

“There is no basis for rumors or speculation about the suspension of the dialogues. As in any negotiation, there are moments of controversy, of discussion, but the work continues as normal, “he told the VOA Ivan Cepeda.

On the other side, the opposition senator and member of the Democratic Center, the main opposition party in Colombia, María Fernanda Cabal, pointed out that the peace process is “complacent” with the ELN.

“We reject the kidnapping of soldier Libey Danilo Bravo in Arauca, but this is nothing more than the consequence of being complacent with terrorism. This is not how you negotiate, with a weak State, with some tied Military Forces and with the country flooded with coca ”, he commented to the voice of america Senator Cabal.

For the political scientist Andrés Nieto, the ELN lacks the will for Peace to carry out this process.

“For any peace process, the will of the parties is fundamental and this happens not only because of an agreed cessation, but also because of the reduction in crime and criminal income, precisely such as kidnapping, extortion, threats and others,” he explained to the voice of america Andres Nieto.

The ELN is the last active guerrilla in Colombia, with which eight presidents in the South American country have tried to reach a peace agreement, including President Gustavo Petro, who seeks through the so-called “total peace” to reach a final agreement with this armed group.

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