Colombian Authorities, ELN Fighters Begin Public Peace Talks in Ecuador

Colombian government and the National Liberation Army rebel movement began public dialogue on peace settlement in the suburb of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday.

QUITO (Sputnik) — The talks are held in the presence of the guarantor states, Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Guillaume Long and Defense Minister Ricardo Patino.

The agreement to begin the dialogue was reached in mid-January.

The ELN, which has been entangled in an armed conflict with the government since 1964, fulfilled the main condition set for the beginning of the negotiations by freeing Odin Sanchez, former lawmaker, held hostage since April 2016. On Monday, the rebels also freed soldier Freddy Moreno captured in January.

The peace talks with the other large rebel movement, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), began in 2012 and the final peace agreement was signed at the end of 2016.

ELN is the second largest guerrilla movement after FARC, estimated to have between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters. The United States considers it a terrorist organization.