REBELS from Colombia’s left-wing National Liberation Army said on Sunday that they have agreed to stop using kidnapping as a fundraising tactic — if the current ceasefire with the government is extended.

The pledge came at the end of a round of talks between the two sides over the weekend in Mexico City.

Colombians have grown angry at kidnappings by the guerillas, known by their Spanish initials as the ELN. 

That anger mounted in October, when the rebels abducted the father of soccer star Luis Diaz and held him for 12 days before he was released. Diaz’s mother was rescued within hours by police.

It is not clear if the rebels will release an estimated 38 Colombians they currently hold in captivity, often pending a ransom demand.

Nor was it clear if the pledge would be respected if the ceasefire, declared in August and due to expire on January 29, is not extended.

“After critical moments we have made firm progress toward peace with the ELN,” said the government’s head negotiator Vera Grabe.

Mr Diaz is one of the most talented players on Colombia’s national team and currently plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League. 

The abduction of his parents came as kidnappings for ransom and extortion of businesses increased in Colombia despite efforts by the nation’s first left-wing government to broker ceasefires with rebel groups.

Criminals and rebel groups in the country have long kidnapped civilians for ransom in order to finance their operations. 

The ELN, founded in 1964, is among the last remaining.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Friday that extending the ceasefire would depend on talks about eliminating the rebels’ reliance on the illicit trade in cocaine and other goods. 

Ending the drugs trade is likely to be the next stumbling block for the talks, since the rebels hotly deny engaging in cocaine smuggling.