Weekly Report - 06 July 2023 (WR-23-27)

Violence and provocations by the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) guerrilla group continued until just before a much-vaunted bilateral ceasefire began coming into force on 6 July. The murder of three police officers and the kidnapping of an army sergeant and her two young children will place early strain on a ceasefire which is vital to the credibility of President Gustavo Petro’s ‘total peace’ initiative.