Colombia's path to "total peace": president Gustavo Petro cannot fall back on the FARC blueprint

With their joint announcement about the desire to resume peace talks, Colombia's new president and the country’s second-largest guerrilla group, the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional), have sent a clear political signal. The pacification of the ELN is to take place under the aegis of a "leftist" government and be accompanied by a com­prehensive and ambitious reform project. This is a renewed attempt to end the civil war following the conclusion of a peace agreement with the FARC rebels in 2016. How­ever, the agreement with the FARC can serve as a blueprint only to a limited extent, not just because of the different historical origins of the two guerrilla groups but also owing to the strongly decentralized internal structure of the ELN. The issues of a cease­fire and the release of prisoners - prerequisites for possible peace talks - remain unresolved. Lengthy negotiations lie ahead, and the involvement of Colombian civil society is essential as central questions about the country’s future must be clarified. (author's abstract