Colombia: ELN armed strike in several departments February 10-13 /update 1

Event

The National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional; ELN) guerrilla group launched an armed strike on Saturday, February 10, demanding that people in areas under ELN control remain home. The strike started at 06:00 (local time) on Saturday and is anticipated to continue until 06:00 on Tuesday, February 13. Significant disruptions to transportation and commerce have been reported during the strike in several departments. According to media sources, among the most affected departments has been Cesar, where ELN militants have launched four attacks on major thoroughfares.

Transportation workers decided to suspend operations between Cali and Buenaventura on February 11 due to the threat of ELN-related violence. Additionally, ELN militants clashed with Colombian military forces and hassled residents of the municipality of Corinto (Cauca department). ELN forces also burned a bus on the Corinto-Miranda road over the weekend, as well as a truck on the road between Valdivia and Yarumal and another bus in Toledo municipality (Antioquia department). On Sunday, a pair of suspected ELN militants detonated an explosive device on the El Palermo bridge along the Cúcuta-Pamplona highway (Norte de Santander department).

Though the armed strike is expected to end on Tuesday, ELN attacks are likely to continue in areas under the group's influence in the coming weeks.

Context

The ELN announced that it will hold a three-day armed strike in areas under its control from February 10 to February 13. All members of the ELN were ordered to participate and citizens told not to travel during the strike. The ELN seeks to force the Colombian government to return to Ecuador to restart peace talks with the group; previously, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ended negotiations with the group in mid-January after ELN militants launched attacks on military forces and infrastructure.

The ELN - one of the country's last remaining rebel group following the demobilization of the FARC - is believed to have some 2000 fighters spread out over the departments of Nariño, Arauca, Boyacá, Norte de Santander, La Guajira, Cesar, Bolívar, Casanare, Santander, Chocó, Cauca, and Putumayo, particularly in rural zones. Peace talks began in February 2017.

Advice

Individuals in Colombia are advised to monitor developments to the situation, limit nonessential movement in areas affected by the forced strike, and allow additional time to travel.

Due to the presence of several armed groups - including organized crime groups, drug cartels, right-wing militias, and local gangs in addition to the ELN - some Western governments advise against travel to various parts of the country.