ELN News
A Former Warlord is Back in Colombia, Will His Drug Trafficking Empire Follow?
Authorities in Colombia have arrested an infamous former paramilitary warlord after he returned to the Andean nation upon finishing his US prison sentence for drug charges, raising concerns about his possible reemergence as a major drug trade...
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 /
Failed Venezuela Uprising Benefits Armed and Criminal Groups
Venezuela's social conflict and violence may be even more complicated a week after the failed military uprising led by Juan Guaidó. This continued descent into...
Analysis /
The ELN Gets Richer, Stronger in Southern Bolívar
The ELN has gained strength in a crucial drug trafficking region in the southern part of Colombia's Bolívar department -- confirming that they have benefited from...
Analysis /
Uptick in Colombia Massacres Highlights Shifting Criminal Dynamics
A new United Nations report has revealed a scandalous increase in the number of massacres carried out in Colombia, revealing new criminal dynamics in strategic...
Brief /
Guerrilla Groups Largest Employers at Colombia-Venezuela Border: Report
Criminal groups from Colombia have become the major source of employment in Venezuelan villages across the border as they recruit victims of the...
Brief /
Neutralizing Criminal Groups Key in Guaidó Security Plan for Venezuela
The opposition leader and president of Venezuela’s National Assembly has launched his new security plan for a potential transition government, announcing a series...
Brief /
Venezuela Govt Claims Military Buildup at Colombian Border is to Combat Criminal Groups
Venezuela has positioned 17 military bases along its border with Colombia in an effort to address what security officials describe as multiple attacks...
Brief /
Colombia’s Remote Telembí Triangle Sees Gangs Shake Down Illegal Miners
Colombia’s southern department of Nariño is home to an extortion scheme, where two of the country’s largest criminal organizations, the ELN and the Urabeños,...
Analysis /
Op-Ed: The ELN as a Colombo-Venezuelan Rebel Army
The ELN, Colombia’s last rebel army, has engaged in exponential growth over the last four years, both in Colombia and within Venezuela, and may now be described...
Brief /
Trails Along Colombia-Venezuela Border Are Criminal Enclaves
In the aftermath of the closure of the Colombia-Venezuela border, criminal groups have seized control of illegal trails, known as "trochas," that have become the...
