Dissident FARC faction agrees to concentrate members in northeast Colombia – Colombia News

The commanders of the EMBF’s 33rd Front agreed to concentrate their guerrillas from northeast Colombia as pat of efforts o negotiate peace with the government.

The agreement to concentrate the 33rd front fighters from the Catatumbo in a so-called Temporary Location Zone (ZUT) was made public by President Gustavo Petro on Saturday.

In the ZUT outside of the town of Tibu, “the fighters and weapons of the 33rd front will be gathered together,” Petro said on social media platform X.

Before its creation, government and guerrilla representatives “will elaborate the necessary agreements and protocols for the establishment of the ZUT and its operation,” according to the Catatumbo Agreement published by the president.

Once established, the temporary guerrilla settlement will be protected by the security forces and host State institutions “that will participate in the territorial transformations agreed in the framework of the Peace Talks Table” with the EMBF.

Locals from the Catatumbo region will also take part in the peace process, according to the agreement.

The ZUT, as stipulated in Law 2272 of 2022, is geographically delimited and will guarantee the Social Rule of Law and the functioning of the institutions that will participate in the territorial transformations agreed upon in the framework of the Peace Dialogue Table, with the active participation of the communities of Catatumbo, with respect for their rights and freedoms.

Catatumbo Agreement

So far, the 33rd Front is the only unit of the EMBF to agree with a designated area for their forces and armaments.

The Petro administration began negotiations with the unit in 2023, when the EMBF units were still part of Colombia’s largest FARC dissident organization, the EMC.

This guerrilla organization split in two because of internal disagreements over peace talks, and a ceasefire with the security forces in particular.

Talks with the EMBF’s guerrillas from Catatumbo apparently accelerated after a major offensive by the ELN guerrilla group, which have been trying to expel their rivals from Catatumbo since January.