BOGOTA, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's largest rebel group declared a unilateral ceasefire Saturday ahead of a June 15 presidential runoff pitting incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos and his conservative rival Oscar Ivan Zuluaga.
The 8,000-strong Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced the ceasefire on June 9-30 in an open letter posted on its website.
Santos lost to Zuluaga in the first-round vote on May 25, during which the FARC and the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's second largest rebel group, also declared a week-long ceasefire.
Zuluaga, a protege of former president Alvaro Uribe who has steadfastly opposed negotiating with the rebels in favor of a hardline military strategy, fell short of the 50 percent vote needed to avoid a runoff.
The peace talks, launched by Santos with the FARC in November 2012, have so far reached agreement on agrarian reform and political participation.
The five-decade-long conflict has killed 220,000 people and displaced 4.5 million others.
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