Colombians weigh returning home after rebel violence
Tibu, Colombia Reuters Residents of Colombia’s troubled Catatumbo region, near the eastern border with Venezuela, are weighing whether to return home after attacks by a rebel group displaced at least 50,000 people over several weeks. The government has accused rebels from the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) of targeting former members of the now-demobilised Revolutionary […]
Search for the missing: In Colombia, former enemies now seek loved ones and dream of peace
MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ, of Associated Press, reports on the ongoing quest to find the victims of 50 years of armed conflict in the South American nation…
Colombia reissues rebel arrest warrants, displacement rises to 32,000 amid fighting
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s AttorneyGgeneral’s office on Wednesday reissued arrest warrants for leaders of the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, who had been participating in peace talks, as forced displacement caused by ELN attacks rose to 32,000 people. A sharp uptick in violence over the past week in the Catatumbo region, an area along the […]
Colombia armed groups used peace talks to build strength, military commander says
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s illegal armed groups have taken advantage of the government’s pursuit of peace to strengthen themselves militarily and economically, the commander of the country’s armed forces said on Monday. The government of President Gustavo Petro has since 2022 pursued peace negotiations with leftist guerrillas and criminal gangs founded by former right-wing paramilitaries, […]
Colombia government says it will not unilaterally end ELN peace talks
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s government will not unilaterally end peace talks with rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN), its peace delegation said on Thursday, even though a ceasefire between the two sides expired earlier this month. Vera Grabe, head of the government’s delegation, and Senator Ivan Cepeda, said it was up to the rebel […]
Colombia armed forces restart military operations against ELN rebels
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s armed forces have restarted operations against leftist rebel group the National Liberation Army (ELN), Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said on Monday. The decision to restart military operations comes after a six-month ceasefire between the two sides ended on Saturday. Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez looks on during a press conference at […]
Colombia’s illegal armed groups grew in 2023 – secret security report
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s four main illegal armed groups grew during 2023 as they consolidated territorial control financed by drug trafficking and illicit gold extraction, according to a secret security report seen by Reuters. The report focused on leftist guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN), crime gang the Clan del Golfo and two dissident […]
Colombia’s ELN would respond with force to any break in ceasefire, says leader
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s National Liberation Army rebels will respond with military force to any break in their ceasefire with the government, leader Antonio Garcia told Reuters, predicting that the current stage of peace talks will end in 2025. President Gustavo Petro restarted negotiations with the group, founded in 1964 by radical Catholic priests, as […]
Colombia and ELN rebels extend ceasefire by six months, agree to set up fund
Bogota, Colombia/Havana, Cuba Reuters Colombia’s government and National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels have extended their bilateral ceasefire for another six months starting Tuesday, the same day they announced the creation of a fund backed by multiple donors to finance the process. An initial six-month ceasefire expired last week and was then extended by five days. […]
Colombia ELN guerrillas free kidnapped father of Liverpool soccer star Diaz
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas on Thursday freed the father of Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz, after taking him hostage nearly two weeks ago, the government said. The kidnapping of Luis Manuel Diaz has disrupted the government’s peace talks with the ELN, which restarted last year in the hope of ending […]