- The Washington Times - Monday, March 30, 2020

Colombian rebel group National Liberation Army (ELN) has unilaterally declared a one-month ceasefire that will begin April 1 in a “humanitarian gesture” as the country races to contain the spread of coronavirus.

ELN, one of Colombia’s last remaining rebel groups, announced Monday that it will also consider restarting peace talks with the government that were scrapped in 2018 after the group bombed a police academy in Bogota, killing 22 people.

In a statement, ELN announced it is declaring “an active unilateral ceasefire for a month, from 1 to 30 April in a humanitarian gesture of the ELN with the Colombian people, who’re suffering from devastation because of the coronavirus,” according to the BBC.

More than 700 Colombians have been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, and 10 have died.

• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.

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