Colombia suspends ceasefire with Estado Mayor Central rebels in some areas

FILE PHOTO: Colombia's President Gustavo Petro speaks during the ceremony for the new Director of Police, General William Rene Salamanca (not pictured), at the General Santander Police School in Bogota, Colombia May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Monday suspended a national ceasefire with the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) armed group in some provinces, following the murder of four Indigenous teenagers.

The move to reactivate military offensives against the EMC in the country's southeast is the latest hiccup in leftist President Gustavo Petro's efforts to make peace or surrender deals with armed groups to end Colombia's six decade conflict, which has killed at least 450,000 people.