ELN News
Criminal Governance Under Coronavirus: How Colombian Groups Seized the Day
The coronavirus pandemic sparked a shift in Colombia as criminal actors the nation over sought to profit from the sudden change in conditions, the refocusing of state priorities and a distracted...
ELN Profile
ELN
The National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional - ELN) is one of the two main guerrilla armies with left-wing political ideologies operating in Colombia. Initially a Marxist-Leninist nationalist movement, it now appears more focused on kidnapping, extortion and attacks on economic infrastructure. And while it eschewed drug trafficking for decades, it has recently been linked to...
More ELN News
Analysis /
The ELN’s Repeated Demands for a Ceasefire in Colombia
In recent months, the ELN has made several attempts to reach a ceasefire but these have been continually rebuffed by the Colombian government, which claims the...
Brief /
Armed Groups in Colombia Target Children Amid Pandemic
Irregular armed groups in Colombia have ramped up their recruiting of poor young people, who find themselves even more vulnerable with schools shut down...
Analysis /
Violence Rages On in Colombia’s Cauca Department
A wave of violence has struck Colombia's southwestern Cauca department, in the form of targeted killings and armed groups battling for control of coca crops and...
Analysis /
Colombia’s High Commissioner for Peace Lays Out New Appeal to Armed Groups
Amid an unprecedented global health crisis, a national lockdown and uncertainty about the evolution of the country's main criminal actors, the Colombian government...
Analysis /
Colombia Running Out of Incentives to Convince Armed Fighters to Surrender
The Colombian government's latest offer of legal benefits to individuals of armed groups who surrender and face justice was met with skepticism, especially since it...
Brief /
US Pressure on Cuba to Extradite ELN Leaders Unlikely to Succeed
The US and Colombia's strategic alliance may seem stronger than ever after Washington blacklisted Cuba for refusing to extradite ELN leaders. But beyond this show...
Analysis /
What Does Coronavirus Mean for Criminal Governance in Latin America?
A number of criminal groups across Latin America are ordering ceasefires and exerting control over local communities as fears of the coronavirus sweep across the...
Analysis /
Rastrojos Under Siege at Colombia-Venezuela Border
The Colombian criminal group Los Rastrojos is fighting a two-front war: against ELN guerrillas looking to usurp the group's highly profitable operations along the...
Analysis /
ELN Showcases Unique Ability to Paralyze Parts of Colombia
For three days in mid-February, the ELN made a show of force, staging simultaneous operations across Colombia in a show of force, which also sent a clear message to...