Colombia prosecutor suspends warrant for FARC dissidents in step toward talks

FILE PHOTO: Rifles are seen during a news conference, showing the seizure of weapons, explosives and ammunition, that authorities say belonged to dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in Bogota, Colombia January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's attorney general on Monday suspended arrest warrants against 19 members of a group of former rebels who reject a 2016 peace deal, a step toward new negotiations promised by President Gustavo Petro.

The Estado Mayor Central armed group was founded by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels who did not join that group's demobilization and conversion to a legal political party.