In Colombia, over 80 individuals have been killed and around 32,000 displaced due to a series of attacks by guerrilla groups, particularly the National Liberation Army (ELN). This violence led the government, under President Gustavo Petro, to reactivate arrest warrants for 31 ELN leaders. The ELN, a left-wing militia with about 5,800 members, is heavily involved in illicit drug trafficking.
The group has been accused of launching multiple assaults on rival militias in the country’s border region with Venezuela, which is notorious for its lawlessness. The Colombian government and the United Nations have reported that the attacks have caused numerous fatalities, kidnappings, and displacements.
In response, Petro declared a state of emergency, paused peace negotiations, and sent 5,000 soldiers to the region. Despite his firm stance on taking action against the ELN, the military’s presence in rebel-controlled areas has been limited to establishing observation points and conducting urban patrols.
The violence has stirred memories of Colombia’s long-standing civil war, which claimed up to 450,000 lives over six decades. Public sentiment in Colombia leans against continuing peace talks with the ELN, with polls showing concerns about the group’s security strategy.
While rooted in leftist ideology, the ELN is also one of the biggest players in the global cocaine trade and engages in extortion, kidnapping, and smuggling. Colombian Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo explained that the ELN’s goal in the attacks was to seize control of the border area to secure “criminal incomes.”
Petro, who was once a member of a leftist guerrilla group, has spent years attempting to bring the ELN and other factions to the negotiating table. However, the latest ELN offensive has dashed hopes for peace, revealing the group’s unwillingness to disarm after several failed ceasefires and peace talks.
