- ELN attack kills soldiers, peace talks jeopardized
- Colombia’s peace process strained by violence
- Six-decade conflict continues amid ELN unrest
President Gustavo Petro of Colombia has warned that an attack on a military base in the country’s east “practically closes” peace talks.
Late on Tuesday, Petro blamed the Marxist National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group for a previous attack in Puerto Jordan, in northeastern Arauca province, that killed two soldiers and injured at least 21.
“This is an attack that practically closes a peace process, with blood,” he remarked during a ceremony in Bogota.
The ELN launched rockets from a cargo truck loaded with explosives in what the military described as the most significant attack since a bilateral ceasefire between the government and the rebel organization expired in August.
Six Decades of Conflict
The ELN, with an estimated 6,000 fighters, is the largest of the armed factions involved in Colombia’s six-decade conflict, which has killed over 450,000 people.
In 2016, the government reached a peace agreement with Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).
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Petro, the country’s first left-wing president, resumed peace talks with the ELN at the end of 2022 to achieve “total peace.”
However, the talks have been stalled for months as the group continues to kidnap and tax citizens in regions under its control.
The ELN has also expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to initiate separate negotiations with a splinter ELN unit in the nation’s southwest.
In August, Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez stated that the military would restart operations against the ELN whenever the ceasefire expired.
The ELN accuses the government of failing to follow through on prior rounds of peace talks.
The group also demands that the government remove it from the list of organized armed groups.
