🇨🇴 Colombia • ELN ready to unite guerrilla groups in the face of possible US intervention
The National Liberation Army (ELN), one of Colombia's most powerful armed groups, says it is prepared to support a union of the country's main guerrilla groups against possible military action by the United States. Its commander, Antonio Garcia, says that this convergence would be seen as a response to "defend the homeland" against what he describes as foreign aggression. This position marks a notable shift in a fragmented insurgent landscape, which has been dominated for several years by armed rivalries and competing criminal agendas.
The initiative to bring armed groups together was recently raised by Ivan Mordisco, leader of the main dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Considered the most wanted rebel in the country, Mordisco has proposed holding a summit of guerrilla commanders to confront Washington. This proposal comes amid regional tensions following the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American forces and increased pressure from the United States on drug trafficking networks in Latin America.
The ELN, which until now had maintained close ties with Caracas, sees this situation as a direct threat. The US authorities have stepped up their warnings to cocaine-producing countries. In December, President Donald Trump explicitly named Colombia as a potential target, accusing it of producing cocaine for the US market. Since September, the US offensive against drug traffickers has resulted in naval bombings in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing more than 100 people.
Colombia and Venezuela share a particularly porous border stretching over 2,200 kilometres, where numerous armed groups operate. These groups are fighting over revenues from drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling. In this context, the ELN and the dissident group led by Ivan Mordisco accuse the United States of seeking to appropriate Colombia's natural resources under the guise of the war on drugs. Together, these organisations are believed to have around 9,400 fighters, according to Colombian military figures from 2025.
On the diplomatic front, the situation remains ambiguous. After months of verbal tensions, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his American counterpart have recently begun a phase of de-escalation. The two leaders have agreed to take joint action against the ELN, and a meeting is scheduled for early February in Washington. The United States remains a historic ally of Bogota in the fight against drug trafficking, and discussions are expected to focus on the terms of a strengthened military response to criminal organisations.
The Colombian authorities believe that the call for guerrilla unity reflects above all a growing concern among their leaders. Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez believes that these statements reflect an awareness of an increased "threat of lethal action" against insurgent commanders. Intelligence services suspect that Antonio Garcia is in Venezuela, which is used as a rear base by several armed groups. Garcia denies any exodus and asserts that the ELN remains focused on Colombia.
The peace efforts undertaken by Gustavo Petro since he came to power in 2022 have failed. Negotiations with the ELN were suspended in early 2025 after a deadly attack on a rival faction of the former FARC, which left more than 100 people dead in Catatumbo. Against this backdrop, the prospect of a guerrilla alliance, even if only circumstantial, highlights the risk of a violent resurgence of the Colombian conflict under regional and American pressure. Le Monde
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IN SHORT
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