Colombian peace delegation condemns rebel group’s action against U.S. military buildup in Caribbean

BOGOTA, Colombia — The Colombian government’s delegation in peace talks with the National Liberation Army on Monday condemned an “armed strike” — which confines civilians to their homes and restricts commercial activity — that the rebel group is conducting this week in response to the U.S. military’s naval buildup in the Caribbean.

Colombia’s delegation said in a statement that a decision by the Marxist guerrilla force, which has been active since the 1960s and is known by Spanish acronym ELN, to carry out an armed strike impacts only rural communities in Colombia.

“A protest against the actions of the U.S. government that is geared toward communities lacks any sense whatsoever,” the government delegation said.

ELN’s armed strikes often involve school closures in areas under the group’s control. Shops and public transportation also are told to close, and civilians who defy the rebels’ orders are threatened with death.

The ELN said its latest armed strike would last until 6 a.m. Wednesday.

In a statement published Friday, the rebels justified the measure by citing the Trump’s administration’s “neocolonial plans” to “sack” Latin America’s natural resources.

The announcement came a day after the Trump administration seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, as Washington escalates pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the Trump administration has accused of shipping drugs to the United States.

The tanker had been sanctioned by U.S authorities in 2022 for its alleged role in smuggling oil on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and was carrying at least a million barrels of crude purchased by Cuba.

Colombia’s human rights ombudswoman said in a statement Monday that during the armed strike, the ELN rebels attacked an army base in the province of Arauca and a police station in Norte de Santander province. The human rights defender said an ambulance driver was killed during the attack on the police station as both sides exchanged fire.

Colombia suspended peace talks with ELN in January, after the rebel group staged a series of deadly attacks on villages in northeast Colombia that forced more than 50,000 people to flee their homes.

Both sides still have peace delegations that unsuccessfully have attempted to resume talks.

The ELN is Colombia’s second-largest rebel group, with an estimated 6,000 fighters in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela. The group has been accused of running illegal gold mines and drug trafficking routes in both countries and supports Maduro’s authoritarian government.

Colombia’s government attempted to hold peace talks with ELN and several other rebel groups over the last three years, with President Gustavo Petro’s administration granting these groups several ceasefires as an incentive. Critics argue that the rebels have used the truces to recruit more fighters and strengthen their grip over rural communities.

In 2016, Colombia made a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym FARC, that led to the disarmament of more than 13,000 fighters. ELN and several other groups are fighting for territory abandoned by FARC.

Rueda writes for the Associated Press.