GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (Reuters) — Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met with Ecuador’s outgoing President Rafael Correa in the port city of Guayaquil on Wednesday, hailing the peace process with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels that culminated in an end to more than five decades of violence.
The official meeting comes as Ecuador hosts official peace talks between Colombia’s Marxist National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels and Bogota in a bid to end another five-decade conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, damaged the economy and left millions displaced.
With the agreed peace process with FARC being implemented throughout Colombia, Santos thanked the outgoing Ecuadorean leader for his support throughout the difficult negotiations with the rebels as his presidential term nears its end.
“I express my gratitude for the support I have received from President Correa from Ecuador right from the beginning in this difficult but necessary process for Colombia and the region, to find peace after 50 years of war. This process would not have come to fruition had it not been for the support of the international community and above all else the region, neighbouring countries. This week President Correa you must be proud because you played a part in this. This week the last FARC member will enter into the process. This was unthinkable months ago,” declared Santos.
Now Correa is hoping a similar deal will be secured with the ELN, Colombia’s second-biggest rebel group.
The 2,000-strong ELN, considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union, has extorted, bombed oil and electricity infrastructure and kidnapped hundreds of people over its 52 years to raise funds for the war and pressure the government.
Correa said a Colombia at peace will have positive implications for Latin America as a whole.
“Congratulations dear Juan Manuel (Santos) for the courage to lead the process towards peace in your country. A peace whose fruits will be felt not just in Colombia but also in Ecuador and throughout the homeland (of Latin America). For decades we have had a precarious border which required ten times more police and soldiers to surveil it than a normal border. With peace human lives will be saved and significant resources will be re-invested into development,” said Correa.
Santos won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the FARC conflict, but has been criticized for making a deal the opposition says is too lenient on the rebels.
The ELN, founded by radical Catholic priests and inspired by Cuba’s 1959 revolution, has been in on-and-off preliminary talks with the government since 2014.
Peace with the two rebel groups is unlikely to put a complete end to violence in a country also ravaged by drug trafficking, but could allow economic development in once off-limits areas and shift more resources to fight growing criminal gangs.