With high hopes for containing the coronavirus outbreak, the UN Secretary-general proposed a global ceasefire, allowing various countries and other armed forces to stop fighting each other and focus on the real threat at hand.
Colombia’s rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) has confirmed on Friday that they are willing to participate in the ceasefire if the Colombian government does. There has been no response from Colombia about this.
The ELN has been active in Colombia since 1964. The group had a truce with the government in 2016 through to early 2018, though it ultimately fell apart. A 2016 peace referendum narrowly failed, but the group seems willing to take up the matter again.
Most of the world has expressed support for the UN ceasefire, though the US and Russia have yet to formally commit to it, with Russia wanting assurances that they can defend themselves in Syria, and the US wanting to make sure it doesn’t impact any ongoing US wars.
How could a global ceasefire not effect any US wars? I think the most detrimental war the US is engaged in is our relentless assault on words.
The kinetic wars are still pretty brutal….
But it’s the words that are always found behind the actions, and in front shielding the consequences from view.