UN official hails start of unilateral ceasefire in Colombia

UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Colombia Fabrizio Hochschild on Tuesday hailed the unilateral ceasefire declared by the FARC guerrilla movement.

While expressing his confidence that the ceasefire, which came into effect Monday, Hochschild said he hoped it would hold for more than a month, the initial time period stated by the armed group.

"We hope that everything will be done to ensure that this unilateral ceasefire will remain solid and lasts longer than previous ceasefires," said Hochschild, who stressed further work was needed to find ways to guarantee the scaling back of an armed conflict that has adversely affected the civilian lives of Colombia.

The long-awaited ceasefire was agreed earlier this month during protracted negotiations held in Havana, Cuba, after a host of violence occurred in the past months of this year.

It is hoped that both the FARC and the Colombian armed forces are respecting the ceasefire, which has been celebrated nationwide across Colombia.

The FARC has stated that they would abide by the ceasefire as long as they are not attacked by Colombia's armed forces, while stressing that they maintain the right to defend themselves if attacked.

According to Hochschild, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon would in the next few days designate a representative who would participate in the ongoing peace negotiations along with a delegate from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). Endite