Why Colombia’s ELN Guerrillas Have Never Made Peace
The country’s largest remaining rebel group has long silenced moderate voices within its ranks, posing a challenge to new President Abelardo De La Espriella.
This article is adapted from AQ’s special report on Mexico’s path forward After nine years of fighting, ELN commander and co-founder Ricardo Lara Parada had had enough. In 1973, he fled the ranks of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional rebel group during Operation Anorí, a government offensive that deployed 33,000 troops against roughly 100 guerrilla fighters and killed a third of them. Later, in the 1980s, Lara accepted an offer of amnesty from President Belisario Betancur, renounced armed struggle, and become the first ex-guerrilla commander elected to office as a city...
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