The National Liberation Army (ELN) argues the Colombian government failed to create the promised fund to support them financially during peace talks. But kidnappings are not on the table of negotiations, according to the government.
The Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), or National Liberation Army, announced this Monday in a statement that it “has ended its offer of unilateral suspension of economic retentions,” a way for the group to refer to kidnappings of people for the purposes of extortion.
The ELN agreed to suspend kidnappings last December as part of ongoing peace talks with the government of President Gustavo Petro. The Colombian guerrilla group justified its recent decision by the fact that the government did not respect its promise to create a fund to financially support the group during the peace negotiations.
The central command emphasizes that “as of May 3, 2024, the Fund has not yet been established, the government shows little desire to move in this direction.”
The ELN maintains that the decision to suspend kidnappings for ransom was made to contribute to the development of the Cese al Fuego Bilateral, Nacional y Temporal (Bilateral, National and Temporary Ceasefire or CFBNT), but it argues it reversed the suspension because the government didn’t respect its commitments.
The group concluded that it would continue to respect the ceasefire and that it kept “its desire to resume and conclude new agreements consistent with the aim of a political solution which condenses today’s agenda and guides this process.”
Human trafficking “is not the subject of any negotiation”
The delegation of the Colombian Government responded that a Fund had been established but “was in no way created as a compensation for the suspension of kidnapping or the interruption of any other specific action included in the ceasefire.”
In this context, the delegation stressed that “the implementation of the Fund did not take place due to the ELN’s decision to pause kidnappings,” insisting that “human trafficking has no justification and its elimination is not the subject of any negotiation from the Colombian State.”
Last February, Colombia and the National Liberation Army agreed to extend a historic truce agreement set in 2023. Both sides issued separate statements announcing a further six-month extension.
Colombia has experienced more than half a century of conflict between the government and various left- and right-wing armed groups.
In 2016, a peace agreement dismantled the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The ELN thus became the largest rebel group in the country. Since then, the guerrillas have intensified their activities in territories formerly controlled by the FARC.
In 2019, peace talks with the ELN were interrupted by former conservative President Iván Duque following a car bomb attack on a police academy in Bogota, which killed 22 people.
Talks between Bogota and the ELN were resumed in November 2022 in neighboring Venezuela by President Petro as part of his “total peace” policy, which aims to demobilize and disarm illegal armed groups. Several rounds of peace negotiations followed, supported by Mexico, Norway, Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil, and Chile as guarantors.
As part of the 2023 deal, the ELN agreed to suspend kidnappings, leading it to ask the government for financial support to replace the missed revenue opportunity. The armed group then declared it was “unilaterally and temporarily suspending economic retentions.”
4,000 ELN fighters in Colombia
Since its creation in 1964, the National Liberation Army has sought to control critical areas of the country, particularly those associated with drug trafficking, and frequently engages in armed confrontations with Colombian authorities.
The group began as a left-wing ideological movement composed of students, union leaders, and priests inspired by the Cuban revolution. It is believed to have around 4,000 fighters in Colombia and is also present in Venezuela, where it operates illegal gold mines and drug trafficking networks.
It is known for organizing kidnappings for ransom and attacks on oil infrastructure. Many territories, including the United States and the European Union, have included it on the list of terrorist organizations.
