A six-month ceasefire between the Colombian government and the ELN (Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional - National Liberation Army) has come into force.

The ceasefire, set to run until February, is the product of ongoing peace talks between the National Liberation Army and the government, which restarted last year.

Petro, who took office in August 2022, has made pursuing “total peace” in the South American nation a key plank of his administration and promised to negotiate with armed groups.

“The ELN central command orders all units to suspend offensive operations against the armed forces, police and security organisations of the Colombian state,” the group’s top commander, Eliecer Herlinto Chamorro, known as Antonio Garcia, said in a video on Monday.

The ELN will continue to defend itself during the ceasefire if needed, Garcia added.

The government’s high peace commissioner, Danilo Rueda, on Tuesday said the ceasefire would prevent violence and human rights abuses like kidnappings. “The civilian population can rest easy during the period of the ceasefire,” Rueda said.