Eduardo Ávila, Colombia’s ambassador to Spain, assured that the country will look for alternatives for the ELN guerrilla to withdraw from the European Union (EU) terrorist list, on which it has been for more than two decades. This was stated by him in an interview with Blu Radio.
The ambassador said that the eventual request corresponds to the scope of President Gustavo Petro’s peace policy and seeks for the ELN to be recognized under another political status and not as a terrorist group, taking into account the peace process it is carrying out with the government.
Where does the idea come from? In May 2023, President Gustavo Petro visited Spain and proposed that the European Union consider removing the ELN from its terrorist list.
“The Spanish Government, which will lead with Europe, will study the possibility, according to the progress of this cycle, especially in terms of truce and ceasefire, that helps them get off the terrorist list and acquire another political status,” Petro told the media at that time.
But there is no formal request yet. Although Petro put it on the table a year ago, nothing formal exists. Ambassador Ávila assured that after the summer season – which runs until August – the idea is to hold some peace forums to review how the peace process is going in Colombia and that, from these meetings, ideas will be formulated to raise the proposal to the government of Spain.
According to Ávila, this request will depend on the will of the ELN and the delegations at the dialogue table.
The key: Although the ELN is one of the guerrillas with the most advances in President Petro’s total peace policy, it also has many setbacks. Currently, there is a crisis due to the other peace talks held by the ELN of Nariño – and which even broke away from the command of that guerrilla – with the national and departmental governments.
Fact: The ELN was included on the EU list of terrorist groups in 2003, under the first government of Álvaro Uribe.
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