Colombia rebuffs rebels' ceasefire offer

Colombia’s government has rebuffed a unilateral truce declared by the country’s largest rebel group, saying the guerrillas’ conditions are unacceptable until a peace deal is reached.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) said on Wednesday it would lay down its weapons for an unlimited time to bolster peace talks that have been held in Cuba for the past two years.

But the group said it would call off the ceasefire if its units were attacked by Colombia’s U.S.-backed military, a condition that appears to doom the gesture due to the government’s longstanding refusal to enter a bilateral truce out of fear it would give the rebels an opportunity to re-arm.

Source: The Guardian