Colombia launches talks with rebel group led by fighters who returned to arms after 2016 peace deal

By MANUEL RUEDA
Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia has launched peace talks with the Second Marquetalia rebel group as President Gustavo Petro’s administration tries to pacify rural areas of the country that have seen rising violence despite efforts to broker ceasefires with various armed groups. The talks were announced in Caracas, Venezuela in a ceremony that included government delegates and rebel leaders who signed a 2016 peace deal but later took up arms again. With an estimated 2,000 fighters the Second Marquetalia is one of the nation’s smaller rebel outfits. The government’s decision to begin peace talks with the group has been criticized by opposition leaders who accuse Petro of being soft on crime.