By Edelmiro Franco V. | 2025-02-05

BOGOTA -- Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla movement has solidified its presence as a binational criminal organization operating in both Colombia and Venezuela, as evidenced by the recent humanitarian crisis triggered by its actions in the Catatumbo region.

Following the 2016 Final Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the ELN became the longest-standing active guerrilla group in Latin America.

In November 2020, researchers from Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla) published a study titled "ELN in Venezuela: A descriptive approach to the binationality of the guerrilla movement."

"One of the main concerns about the ELN is its expansion and consolidation in border municipalities and, consequently, its presence in different states of Venezuela," the study warned.

Negotiating peace with a binational guerrilla group is particularly challenging since the ELN no longer operates solely within Colombia, the authors say.

Any agreement involving the group would require Venezuela's involvement.

At the time of the FARC peace deal, the ELN had fewer than 3,000 armed fighters. However, the group's numbers had doubled by 2023, La Silla Vacia reported last March, citing sources at the Colombian Ministry of Defense.

This figure continued to rise in 2024, military intelligence suggests, though the exact number of ELN combatants remains uncertain.

Defending Maduro's regime

The ELN's binational nature has two key aspects: its territorial presence in Venezuela and a shift in its composition, as it has moved from being exclusively Colombian to actively recruiting Venezuelans, Jorge Mantilla, a criminology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois and a scholar of crime, security and the Colombian conflict, told Entorno.

The ELN's Eastern and Northeastern units, operating along the 2,219km-long Colombian-Venezuelan border, are increasingly conducting "recruitment exercises on the Venezuelan side," Mantilla explained.

The group's ideological focus has also evolved, he added.

"The ELN has shifted from advocating a socialist revolution in Colombia to defending the Bolivarian revolution [a euphemism for the Nicolás Maduro regime in Caracas], which has become its top priority. That alignment has been key to its growth and consolidation over the last decade."

The ELN's binational presence is rooted in its deep integration into local structures on both sides of the border, particularly in Venezuela, where it exerts influence over communal power, including parish and administrative authorities, said Mantilla.

The group also has embedded itself in illicit activities, such as "cattle ranching, extortion linked to border crossings, and control over migration routes. This includes regular migration and cross-border worker commutes, as well as human trafficking, gasoline smuggling and the illegal trade of beef, among other activities," he said.

Ties to Caracas regime

No official documents explicitly show orders from Maduro directing support for the ELN, said Mantilla.

However, "direct observation and testimonies indicate joint patrols along the border and coordinated control of crossings by both forces," he said.

Between 2019 and 2022, the ELN and the Venezuelan military conducted joint operations in rural areas of Cúcuta and Puerto Santander in Colombia, as well as in La Fría, Boca de Brisa and Urueña in Venezuela.

These operations nearly wiped out the narco-paramilitary group Los Rastrojos, which, according to InSight Crime, originated from the powerful Norte del Valle Cartel before its downfall.

Mantilla described the ELN's relationship with the Caracas regime as one of coordination, cooperation and delegation. It is marked by "mutual interest and interdependence, benefiting both sides," he said.

However, the extent of this relationship remains unclear.

"It is yet to be determined whether these ties exist at the highest levels of the Venezuelan government, within the military command structures in integral defense zones or if they are more localized," he noted.

He highlighted Fredy Bernal, governor of Táchira state, Venezuela, as a key facilitator of ELN coordination who reinforces the group's presence in Táchira and maintains a close relationship with the guerrilla movement, particularly in Norte de Santander.

Catatumbo: A struggle for territorial control

The ELN, along with two FARC dissident factions, operates on the Colombian-Venezuelan border, particularly in the strategic Catatumbo region.

This area has witnessed violent clashes for territorial control, resulting in at least 80 deaths and almost 50,000 displaced individuals in 2025, according to a United Nations report.

Additionally, groups such as the self-proclaimed Colombian Gaitanista Army (EGC), Tren de Aragua, La Línea, AK 47 and other transnational criminal organizations maintain a military presence.

These insurgent groups have the following sizes: the ELN (6,000 members), Central General Staff (EMC) (4,000), Segunda Marquetalia (1,750) and EGC (5,000), Colombian military intelligence reported in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels are involved in drug operations. They oversee cocaine production and launder money in the region.

"The Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación cartels are active in Colombia to monitor the quality and quantity of cocaine hydrochloride, negotiate shipments and set prices. They have purchased multiple properties in Norte de Santander, where they operate various money laundering schemes," explained Mantilla.

This persistent conflict for territorial control has intensified the humanitarian crisis in the Catatumbo region, leading to a surge in violence, forced displacement and severe consequences for the civilian population.