Colombia gov't, largest FARC dissident group to begin peace talks

FILE PHOTO: Then Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bogota, Colombia, April 10, 2018. Picture taken April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga/File Photo

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's government and the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the largest FARC dissident group, on Tuesday said in a joint statement they would begin peace talks on Oct. 8 and start a 10-month bilateral, national ceasefire on the same day.

The EMC was founded by dissident former members of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, who reject a 2016 peace deal signed by that group.