Four nations supporting peace talks between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels on Tuesday called for an “urgent de-escalation” of armed conflict, as 1,200 people fled heavy fighting.
The appeal comes after clashes resumed in mid-April, following an ambush attributed to the FARC that left 11 soldiers dead. Each side blames the other for the escalation.
“We urge the parties to strictly restrict any actions that cause victims or suffering in Colombia, and to step up the implementation of confidence-building measures,” Norwegian representative Idun Aarak Tvedt said in a statement to journalists. “We consider these steps to be essential to guarantee the conditions for and create a climate conducive to achieving agreement.”
Cuba and Norway are acting as so-called “guarantor” nations in the peace talks that began in November 2012 in Havana, while Chile and Venezuela are “escort” countries.
Despite the appeal, two soldiers were killed, two wounded and a fifth reported missing in southern Colombia on Tuesday following attacks that were believed to have been carried out by the FARC.
Meanwhile, three soldiers were killed and four injured in the southwestern Colombian state of Putumayo, where officials said a military convoy carrying crude oil was attacked with explosives.
Army officials said a search has been launched for one missing soldier who they said might have been captured by leftist rebels.
Separately, about 1,200 people in an indigenous community in the northwest fled their homes in the face of renewed fighting in the rural area, a statement from the Indigenous Organization of Antioquia said.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, on Twitter, welcomed the four countries’ appeal.
FARC’s chief negotiator, Ivan Marquez, did likewise, while accusing government forces of stepping up attacks on rebel camps as the guerrillas were observing a unilateral truce, which they ended in May after five months of relative calm.
Since then, about 30 rebels have been killed in military operations and recent surveys show the public to be wary about the peace process.
Colombia’s civil strife dates back to 1964 and has drawn in left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs, killing more than 220,000 people and uprooting as many as 6 million.
The Colombian government said for the first time on Saturday that it was potentially open to a bilateral ceasefire.
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