Colombian Government and Segunda Marquetalia Engage in New Peace Talks

The Colombian government and the Segunda Marquetalia armed group have initiated peace talks, aiming to end 60 years of conflict. This dissident faction of former FARC rebels, disillusioned with unfulfilled promises from a 2016 peace deal, hopes for a new agreement by June 29. Talks are held in Caracas.

The Colombian government and the Segunda Marquetalia armed group began peace talks on Monday, part of President Gustavo Petro's efforts to end 60 years of war in his country.

Segunda Marquetalia is a dissident faction of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels whose leaders initially agreed to a 2016 peace deal, but returned to arms citing unfulfilled promises three years later. The initial round of talks in Caracas, Venezuela, will last through June 29.

The Segunda Marquetalia has already had the experience of a peace deal not being correctly implemented, the head of its negotiating team Walter Mendoza said, referring to the 2016 FARC deal. "Overcoming this situation is in the hands of the state and all its institutions and in particular of the current government," Mendoza said.

The head of the government's negotiating team Armando Novoa told Reuters earlier this month that Colombia hopes to sign and begin to implement

a peace deal with the 1,751-member Segunda Marquetalia before Petro leaves office in just over two years.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)