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Colombia, ELN rebels agree ceasefire ahead of Pope's visit

 

Rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) hold a banner in the northwestern jungles in Colombia, August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Federico Rios

 

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia and the Marxist ELN rebel group said on Monday they have agreed a bilateral ceasefire that will run through mid-January 2018, just two days before Pope Francis arrives for a visit to the Andean country.

 

The National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group, which regularly bombs oil installations and kidnaps for ransom, was founded by radical Catholic priests in 1964 and currently is in peace talks with the government to end 53 years of war.

 

The ceasefire will begin October 1 and finish January 12, will the possibility for extensions if it is respected, President Juan Manuel Santos said in a televised speech.

 

"The priority is to protect citizens, so during this period, kidnappings, attacks on oil pipelines and other hostilities against the civilian population will cease," he added.

 

The two sides have long said the Pope's visit would be a good opportunity to call a ceasefire. The government said details and verification methods were still being finalized and that was why the ceasefire did not begin immediately.

 

Pope Francis arrives on Wednesday evening for a five-day visit to the cities of Bogota, Villavicencio, Medellin and Cartagena.

 

Despite the Quito-based peace talks, which began in February, the ELN has refused to stop taking hostages for ransom, launching bomb attacks and extorting foreign oil and mining companies.

 

A Russian-Armenian hostage held by the group was killed in April while trying to escape, a rebel commander in the country's northwestern jungle region told Reuters last week.

 

The rebels regularly halt pumping on the country's Cano-Limon oil pipeline with bomb attacks, often spilling crude into nearby water sources.

 

"We have said that the visit of Pope Francis should be an extra motivator to accelerate our work for an accord," the ELN said in a statement on its website. "Once the days of celebration of the presence of Francis have passed, we will continue to insist on advancing toward the de-escalation of the conflict, until complete peace is a reality."

 

This is the first ceasefire declared by the rebels.

 

(Reporting by Bogota newsroom; Editing by Bill Trott and Nick Zieminski)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-05