Ex-Colombia rebel urges armed groups to support government

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A former Colombian rebel leader who now heads a political party has addressed the U.N. Security Council for the first time.  Rodrigo Londoño urged the country’s remaining armed groups on Thursday to recognize that left-wing President Gustavo Petro’s government is “democratic and progressive” and stop fighting against it. He criticized Petro’s right-wing predecessor, Ivan Duque, for refusing to implement the 2016 peace agreement with his rebel group, the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia known as the FARC. It ended more than 50 years of war in Colombia that caused over 220,000 deaths and displaced nearly 6 million people. But he said in a video briefing that Petro brought in a progressive government committed to comprehensively implementing the peace agreement.