(MENAFN- QNA) Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has ordered government forces to suspend air strikes against camps belonging to Farc rebels.
The move comes days after the Farc began a month-long unilateral ceasefire in a bid to accelerate peace talks, the (BBC) reported.
President Santos said his order only applied to camps outside urban areas which did not pose a threat to the local population.
Peace talks have been taking place in Cuba since 2012.
However, the process has been hampered in recent months by an upsurge in violence.
"I have issued the order to stop, as of today, bombing raids against camps where there are members of that group," Santos said at a military event in Cartagena.
"From now on, this type of bombing will only be done by explicit order of the president," he added.
More than 200,000 people have been killed since hostilities started in 1964.
Earlier this month, four countries helping to facilitate the peace talks - Cuba, Norway, Chile and Venezuela - called for a de-escalation in violence.
Announcing the unilateral ceasefire, Farc's chief negotiator Ivan Marquez said he hoped it could lead to a bilateral truce.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.