Colombian government says ready to meet leaders of anti-government protest

Amid the on-going protest in Colombia, the Government said that it is ready to hold negotiation talks with the leaders of the anti-government protest, however, asked the protesters to dismiss the mass demonstration across the country scheduled for December 4. Diego Molano, a senior official in Colombian President Duque's government-appointed to lead the negotiations said they are ready to hold talks and discussions on the complaints raised by the protesters either in the afternoon or on Wednesday.

The protest in Colombia has been going on for the past 12 days. There are thousands of people who participated in the anti-government protest demanding the right-wing Colombian President Ivan Duque to reform his policies. During the protest, people raised their demands by banging on pots and pans. 

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'Inclusive, democratic and effective dialogue'

On November 29, the National Strike Committee wrote an open letter to the government asking for an "inclusive, democratic and effective dialogue”, while at the same time continue to protest Duque's announcement for ‘national dialogue’. The National Strike Committee is responsible for group unions, students, university lecturers, and indigenous groups. Molano, on the other hand, asked the National Strike Committee to cancel the protest to be held on December 4, as Duque's Government is ready to engage in a dialogue without any ultimatum or pressure considering the benefit of Colombia. 

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However, there has been no immediate response from the leaders of the protest. The protesters on November 26 during their talks with their President proposed a list of 13 demands which also included tax reforms and complete consent on the 2016 peace deal with the FARC guerrillas. Since November 21 the protesters have organised two national demonstrations after the Duque's national dialogue. However, the committee has distanced itself from the smaller demonstrations being held in the major cities like Bogota, Medellin or Cali.

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Though the protests had been largely peaceful, on Thursday and Friday there was huge destruction of transit stations, curfews in Cali and Bogota and the deaths of three people in connection with alleged looting. The situation aggravated when on November 23, an 18-year-old protester Dilan Cruz was fatally injured by a tear gas canister fired by the ESMAD riot police. The teen was reported dead on Monday and has now become another reason for the protesters to raise their voice who further allege that the ESMAD are using excessive force in their crowd dispersion efforts. The National Strike Committee, comprised of major unions and student organisations demands to dissolve the force and purifying the Police