The National Liberation Army (ELN) is found in a dispute with the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents, in northern Santander, to obtain control of the territory and the market of illicit substances. The escalation of violence left a balance of more than 50,000 displaced people and a delicate public order situation, especially in the Catatumbo.
To stop the problems in the region, the National Government established a series of dialogues with the leaders of the FARC dissidents and advance in their demobilization.
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After several months of dialogue, the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, used his social networks to announce that the Colombian state would have reached an agreement with the Amado Group to establish a peace zone.
In turn, he pointed out that with this step his total peace policy advances in his goal that the guerrillas deliver their weapons and leave aside their control in several areas of the country.
“Peace zone is agreed for the abandonment of violence with the 33rd Front of the General Staff and the National Government. There the fighters and weapons of the 33rd front will congregate. The peace of the Catatumbo begins, ”he wrote in his X account.
His message on the digital platform was accompanied by a document signed by the members of the National Government Dialogues and Front 33 of the FARC dissidents, where several of the points reached between the parties are stated in detail.
“In the city of San José de Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, the extraordinary meeting between delegates of the National Government and representatives of the” Front 33 of the EMBF FARC-EP “was held, and within the framework of the Peace Dialogue table that is advanced they agreed: In compliance with Decree 0448 of April 17, 2025 and being in an advanced phase of the process, the installation of a temporary location zone (ZUT) was defined, in the rural area of the municipality of Tibú, Norte de Santander, where the members of the 33rd Front of the EMBF Farc-EP ”will be located, read in the letter.
In the negotiating table it was agreed that in the temporary location zone (ZUT) the rights and freedoms of the inhabitants of El Catatumbo will be guaranteed. As well as the active role of communities in subsequent discussions.
“The ZUT, as stipulated in Law 2272 of 2022, is delimited geographically and it will guarantee the social state of law and the functioning of the institutions that will participate in the territorial transformations agreed in the framework of the Peace Dialogue Board, with the active participation of the communities of the Catatumbo, with respect to their rights and freedoms.”
By the way, for the installation of the ZUT the geographical, security and logistics conditions, in order to guarantee the advances for demobilization and delivery of weapons of the illegal structure.
“For the definition of the ZUT, the proposals presented by the parties were analyzed and evaluated and their location was finally arranged, taking into account the conditions of security, logistics, geographical and administrative required, to meet the basic needs of temporary permanence for the members of the 33rd Front of the EMBF FARC-EP that will participate in La Paz with social and environmental justice.”
The parties also added that “the delegations will prepare the necessary agreements and protocols for the establishment of the ZUT and its operation, as well as the temporality in each of its phases.”
