The Colombian government has frozen peace talks with the ELN rebel group following a series of bombings. The attacks, only one of which was claimed by ELN, killed several police officers and injured dozens of others.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/EFE/C. Escobar Mora
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An upcoming round of peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) was suspended by the country's president on Monday following a weekend of deadly attacks.
The developments are a step back in efforts to end Colombia's 50 years of conflict, which appeared to be nearing a resolution.
Several police officers were killed in weekend violence that has been partially blamed on the ELN rebelsImage: picture alliance/dpa/colprensa/J. M. Cantillo
Why the talks were frozen
The government blames ELN for three separate attacks over the weekend that killed seven police officers and wounded dozens of others:
On Saturday, a bomb went off outside a police station in the port city of Barranquilla, killing five officers and wounding 41 as police were assembling for roll call.
A bomb in the rural Bolivar province killed two police officers late Saturday night. On Sunday morning, a third attack took place in the city of Soledad, injuring six people.
ELN reportedly claimed responsibility only for the Barranquilla attack.
Colombia's government and the ELN agreed to their first-ever ceasefire in October, but the rebels launched attacks again this month when the ceasefire expired.
Two sides at odds Colombian PresidentJuan Manuel Santos announced the decision to freeze the talks at an event near Bogota, saying that his "patience and the patience of the Colombian people has its limits."
He said the talks would remain suspended "until we see coherence between the ELN's words and its actions."
The ELN said in a statement on Monday that it would back a new ceasefire but that its attacks would continue if there was no ceasefire deal in place.
A step back from peace: The ELN entered into peace talks with the Colombian government in February 2017, but the negotiations have made halting progress due to ongoing attacks.
FARC deal: Santos won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 for securing a peace deal with a larger rebel group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Following its disarmament, the group formed a political party called the Revolutionary Alternative Common Force.
Who are the ELN: The rebel group was founded by radical Roman Catholic priests in 1964 and currently has around 2,000 members. They are considered more radical than FARC and less centralized.
Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists
During the armed conflict between Colombia and the FARC, the rebels occupied some of the country's natural treasures. In the year since the peace deal the areas have opened up, with visitor numbers rising sharply.
Image: PNN
River of seven colors
Within La Macarena National Park flows Cano Cristales, known as the river of seven colors. Its different shades of blue, red, green, pink and black are caused by the great quantity of aquatic plants, particularly the red Macarenia clavigera. From July to November the extreme clarity of the water — a result of low sediment levels — lets the colors glow.
Image: PNN/C. Byfield
From landmines to ecotourism
The Serrania de la Macarena mountain range was one of the strongholds of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebel group. Now the community is starting up a successful ecotourism industry with the help of government agencies. Voluntary projects to remove landmines and manually eradicate cocaine plantations are taking place in parts of the park.
Image: PNN/C. Byfield
Watery path
For Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt, the Maypures stream of Tuparro National Park was the eighth wonder of the world. Tuparro is part of the Orinoco region, known for an ecosystem of flooded and non-flooded savannas. Located near the Venezuelan border, the FARC sometimes used it as a pathway into the neighboring country. People now come here to go canoeing, hiking and bird watching.
Image: PNN/G. Pulido
UNESCO-recognized beauty
In 1960, Cueva de los Guacharos became Colombia's first Natural National Park. It's part of the Cinturon Andino natural reserve, declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1979.
Image: PNN/T. Marent
Home to oilbirds
Guacharos, also known as oilbirds, are pigeon-like birds that live in the depths of the caves and go out at night to hunt food. Colombian government agency National Parks is working with the local community to improve ecotourism to the Guacharos now that the conflict with the FARC is over.
Image: PNN/D. Paez
Whale watching
On the Pacific coast, the dark-colored rainforests on the island of Gorgona merge into the sea. From June to October, humpback whales pass close to its beaches as they make their way south. In 1959, the government built a now-abandoned high-security prison here.
Image: PNN
Site for scuba diving
In November 2014, while peace talks were ongoing, members of the FARC took over Gorgona Island. Six of the soldiers that guarded the island were wounded, and one was killed. Today, the park offers various ecotourism activities, the most popular being scuba diving.
Image: PNN/D. Grajales
Home to the ELN
For centuries, the U'wa indigenous people have lived among the snowy peaks of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range in Colombia's Andes Mountains. This area is also home to El Cocuy National Park, with peaks as high as 5,300 meters (17,300 feet). The ELN guerrilla group had a presence in the park, but like the FARC, the ELN recently agreed to a ceasefire deal with the government.
Image: PNN/A. Hurtado
Climbers' paradise
El Cocuy National Park is a haven for mountain climbers, the park's ecotourism activities have helped the development of local communities.
Image: PNN/G. Pulido
Hiking and whale watching
Utria National Park is known for a narrow inlet — the Ensenada de Utria — where humpback whales mate and spend some time before continuing their journey south. Utria is located in the Choco region by the Pacific Ocean. Even though there has been sporadic presence of the ELN, the park, together with the local indigenous and Afro communities, offers hiking and whale watching.
Image: PNN
Tourism boost
Colombia's peace deal may only be a year old, but ceasefires broadly held during the negotiations. And the impact of peace is already reflected in visitor numbers to parks around the country. Compared to 2015, the number of visitors rose by 61 percent in 2016. And in the first half of 2017, the country's parks registered another bump of 8.6 percent, compared to the same period last year.
