Colombia renews peace talks with last remaining rebel group

BOGOTA – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he’s resuming peace talks with the nation’s last remaining rebel group.

Santos told the nation in a televised broadcast Monday that he’s sending his chief negotiator back to Ecuador for a new round of talks in belief that “peace saves lives.”

Talks between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army broke down in January after the expiration of a temporary cease-fire. The rebels initiated fresh attacks just hours after the cease-fire ended and sporadic violence between the guerrillas and government forces has continued.

Authorities say six police officers were killed and 47 injured in a rebel bombing at a police station in Barranquilla in January. Nearly a half-dozen other officers were killed in a roadside bombing near Colombia’s border with Venezuela in February.