[CLASH] One ELN Member Killed, War Materials Seized

A member of the National Liberation Army (ELN) was neutralized by Colombian security forces in an operation in a rural area near Tame, Aracua, an eastern department located on the border with Venezuela. War materials seized included thousands of rounds of ammunition, homemade mortars, rifles, grenades, and antipersonnel mines. [1]

The result of the operation was announced by Minister of Defense Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez Suárez who stated that the operation “prevented a tragedy” similar to a number of previous attacks launched by the ELN against members of a splinter faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia known as the Estado Mayor Central (FARC-EMC) in Catatumbo from occurring. The clashes began in January as members of the ELN launched an attack against the FARC-EMC in an effort to control both the region’s coca production, a prime ingredient in cocaine, and vital drug trafficking routes. [1] [2]

Clashes between the two armed groups are relatively common, however recent ceasefires with the Colombian government as part of President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace plan” have limited offensive actions by either group against both civilians and rival drug trafficking organizations. Ultimately, the ELN’s decision to launch an attack against the FARC-EMC in the region led to the suspension of a previously negotiated ceasefire with the armed group, with President Petro stating in a post on X that the ELN “has chosen the path of war, and war it shall have.” [2]

Colombian soldiers pose with seized war materials from the raid. (Photo - X/@mindefensa)

Tensions between the ELN and the Colombian government have historically been high even with Petro’s policy of offering ceasefires, with the ELN claiming the Colombian military had infiltrated the armed group’s Nariño Front with the intention of assassinating key leaders following the front’s decision to continue peace talks with the government outside of the national dialogue. This decision sparked a period of paused talks, and an increase in military engagements with the ELN. [3]

In two separate operations on Sunday, Colombian security forces disarmed three cylindrical explosive devices alongside a decoy believed to have been placed on a road used by civilians in Valdivia, Antioquia, located in central Colombia, by the ELN. While five members of the ELN were arrested possessing four firearms, three homemade grenades, three rifle magazines, and 24 rounds of various caliber bullets in connection to an alleged extortion operation in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, located in western Colombia. While these separate operations are minor compared to the bust in Tame, they underscore the ELN’s widespread presence across the country. [4] [5]

Sources:

Pedro Arnulfo Sanchez S. Orgullosamente Colombiano (@PedroSanchezCol), “Ejército neutraliza acciones criminales del Cartel del ELN y evita atentado masivo en el oriente del país…” X, August 2, 2025, post.
Sebastian Jimenez, “Qué pasó en Catatumbo, Colombia, el lugar donde no cesan las muertes tras la suspensión del proceso de paz con el ELN,” CNN en Español, January 20, 2025, https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2025/01/20/colombia/que-paso-catatumbo-colombia-muertes-eln-orix
“La ‘Supuesta Disidencia’ de Nariño,” Insurrección 947, Dirección Nacional Ejército de Liberación Nacional, May 8, 2024, 10-11, https://eln-voces.net/?p=11187#flipbook-df_11190/11/
Mindefensa (@mindefensa), “El @COL_EJERCITO frustró un atentado en zona rural de Valdivia, Antioquia…” X, August 3, 2025, post.
Mindefensa (@mindefensa), “Fueron capturados cinco presuntos integrantes del ELN, que habrían estado detrás de los recientes ataques terroristas y extorsiones a comerciantes de Buenaventura…” X, August 3, 2025, post.