gAbriel Yépez Mejía, alias HHfront commander ‘Comuneros del Sur’, He distanced that group from any responsibility in the crisis experienced by the dialogue table between the National Government and the ELN. In addition, He assured that they do not plan to abandon the regional dialogues in the department of Nariño.
“We are not poisoning any dialogue. We are taking part and will continue to be part of the construction of territorial peace in Nariño“, stated ‘HH’ in an interview with Blu Radio.
The ELN guerrilla is in peace talks with the Petro Government.
Photo:Christian Escobar Mora. EFE file
And it is the intention of the Southern Community Members to be part of this space convened by Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar led the ELN central command (Coce) to suspend talks with the government’s peace delegation preventing the beginning of the seventh cycle.
In the central command, under the spokesperson of ‘Pablo Beltrán’, they consider that the commissioner advisor for Peace, Otty Patiño, by endorsing the participation of the ‘Comuneros del Sur’ in the peace talks in Nariño, what he is doing is dividing the Eln and create pressure on the table.
Now, the commander of said group that operates in the coca-growing areas of Tumaco and Barbacoas, and has 6,158 members, called the central command “irresponsible” for holding that front responsible for the suspension of the table.
“If they sought to excuse themselves from the ‘Comuneros del Sur’ to get up from the table, I think it is very irresponsible.”“, commented Yépez.
Vera Grabe – Pablo Beltrán
Photo:Presidency – Mauricio Moreno. TIME
Likewise, he sent a strong message to the central command and asked that “the truth be told” about the groups’ operations in coca-growing areas. “We would like to do an exercise and I hope that ‘Antonio García’ and ‘Pablo Beltrán’ accept a challenge: that they make a visit, that they come to Nariño and verify, and that this visit also be made in Catatumbo. The ‘Comuneros del Sur’ pays taxes, but in Catatumbo they regulate and market“, said.
On the other hand, he confessed that, if possible, he would like to lay down his weapons and transform into a social organization before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term. “Yes, I think so. We only hope that it happens on the table,” he said.
‘Eln has not wanted to acknowledge that it is suffering an internal crisis’: Otty Patiño
Otty Patiño during the political control debate.
Photo:Office of the High Commissioner for Peace
In the midst of a political control debate this week, the commissioner-adviser for Peace, Otty Patiño, recognized that President Petro’s intention to advance territorial transformations where there is a presence of armed groups has generated problems for them. In fact, he mentioned the regional dialogues raised in Nariño, which were questioned by the ELN delegation and generated a crisis at the table.
“The Comuneros del Sur front has been accused of being a group that obeys a conspiracy on the part of this Government and a military intelligence work, which is not true,” he said.
Regarding the ELN national convention, scheduled for the second half of this year, he said that it is a necessity for the guerrillas to “do an internal reflection” in order to be clear about “whether they continue in the war or leave for peace.” The official acknowledged that at this moment there is “a crisis situation,” but stated that in this type of process it is natural.
Juan Pablo Penagos Ramírez
POLITICS
