Colombian peace commissioner warns of plot to assassinate government negotiator

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Colombia's high commissioner for peace publicly accused the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla movement Thursday of plotting to assassinate his chief advisor.

In a letter addressed to the ELN's Central Command, Otty Patino detailed his concerns, saying his team had corroborated the assassination plan against Alvaro Jimenez through eight "reliable" sources.

"There is not only a plan, there is a decision, and somebody has been hired. That is the information we have received. That is why I dared to make it public, because it seems to me that it is not just a threat," Patino told local media.

The ELN subsequently denied the allegation.

The seven-page letter also demands that the armed guerrilla group demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace during ongoing negotiations with the government.

Patino expressed frustration with the slow progress of the peace talks, saying that "increasingly unproductive conversations" are wearing down the process.

"Patience is not eternal, nor is generosity infinite," he wrote in the letter.

The commissioner acknowledged that the public's patience with the peace process is also waning.

"A segment of the population has accused us of being complicit with the ELN because the country's patience has also reached its limits, and many believe that 'there is nothing to be done with these people,'" he said in an interview with local media.

The government is scheduled to meet with the ELN for the third time this month, following the resumption of peace talks in late 2024. However, the current peace process has a two-year timeframe, until President Gustavo Petro leaves the presidency.

“At the end of this month of January, we will know what the National Liberation Army's position is: whether they will continue to exercise violence or choose the path of peace," Patino said.