Colombia's government on Wednesday called on the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group to suspend a so-called armed strike planned for the northwest of the country, after advocacy group Human Rights Watch warned the ELN may conduct a strike later this week.
Armed strikes prohibit movement along roads and rivers in a specific region, confining people to their homes and preventing the supply of food, fuel and access to health or education services.
The government's request came two days after the first cycle of peace talks with the ELN closed in Venezuela. The negotiations look to end the rebel group's part in Colombia's internal conflict, which has run for almost six decades and left at least 450,000 dead between 1985 and 2018.
