ELN Guerrilla members. Image: cortesy of pacifista.tv
Even though Colombia signed a peace deal with the FARC rebels in 2016, armed conflict in the country is not yet over. Another rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN – Ejército de Liberación Nacional, in Spanish), the country’s now-largest guerrilla organisation, is still alive and kicking.
Since the demobilisation of the FARC, remote parts of the country have witnessed increased violence, as guerrillas – most notably the ELN – and criminal groups compete for the control of territories left behind by the FARC, including access to drug-trafficking routes. In fact, Colombia’s coca acreage for cocaine production is at an all-time high, despite government efforts to eradicate plants.
