National Liberation Army of ColombiaThe National Liberation Army of Colombia (Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional ELN) is a revolutionary group that operates in different regions of Colombia since 1964 and is strongly influenced by the liberation theology. Such theology interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of liberation from unjust social, political and economic conditions. As of 2010, the number of members is estimated to be around 5,000 guerrillas and, the ELN itself is less known when compared to the largest rebel group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Historic FactsThe group was originally founded by Fabio Vasquez Castaño who, along with his brother and other relatives initially held important spots within the National Liberation Army of Colombia. Attracted by the liberation theology, Father Camilo Torres Restrepo was a well known university professor of Marxist leanings who joined the group with the intention of putting such radical ideas into practice inside a revolutionary environment.During his first combat with the ELN, Torres died but remained as an important symbol for the group as a whole and others, mostly priests who gradually started to follow his example and ideas. El Cura Perez (Perez the Priest) from Spain, along with current leader Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista (Gabino) assumed joint-leadership in the early 1970s. Perez’s major role within the National Liberation Army of Colombia was to give to shape the group’s ideology which is now calls for a Christian and communist solution to the country’s corruption, poverty and political exclusion problems through guerrilla activity and conventional warfare. Many have observed that ever since Perez died in 1998, the movement may have begun to lose focus regarding its concerns of winning over the population with their unity of revolutionary activities with Christian and social action. The ELN has managed to sustain itself through the extortion of local and foreign oil companies, large-scale kidnappings and indirect profits from the drugs business through the taxation of crops. The National Liberation Army of Colombia was responsible for the kidnapping of Glen Heggstad who’s a lone motorcycle rider touring South America at the time. Glen was taken hostage in November 2001 and held for a month. He wrote a book titled “Two Wheels through Terror” where he details his story which was also featured on the National Geographic Channel’s “Locked up Abroad” show in 2007. NegotiationsIn the year 2004, Alvaro Uribe’s Colombian government along with Vicente Fox government of Mexico began to make a series of moves in order to initiate a round of exploratory talks with the National Liberation Army. Such talks concluded after the ELN argued that it didn’t trust the actions of the Mexican Government after voting against Fidel Castro’s Cuba during a United Nations vote.In 2005, the ELN and the Colombian government began a new round of talks in La Habana, Cuba which was considered a House of Peace (Casa de Paz) where both sides could meet without any difficulties. After 3 different negotiation stages, on August 30, 2007 the ELN stated that talks concluded without an agreement as there were two different conceptions of peace and methods to get to it.
New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
Do you want to subscribe to our monthly Ezine?
Fill out the details below to receive our fresh insights about Colombia.