Colombian president proposes multilateral ceasefire to illegal armed groups

FILE PHOTO: Colombian President Gustavo Petro attends a news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in Bogota, Colombia August 24, 2022. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

(Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who took office earlier this month, on Saturday proposed a multilateral ceasefire to all illegal armed groups operating in the country as part of an effort to promote peace and end decades of internal conflict.

Petro, a former M-19 guerrilla fighter who laid down his arms and returned to civilian life in 1990, announced the initiative during a visit to the municipality of Ituango, in the insurgency plagued northwestern department of Antioquia.