The National Liberation Army, the last active guerrilla in Colombia, warned on Thursday that there will be reprisals for the death of one of its commanders in a military operation described by the state as the “strongest blow” to the insurgency since 2018.
“Today we make our pain public by summoning our entire fighting force to learn to surprise the enemy we face with actions of the same dimension, always respecting the integrity of the population,” the guerrilla said in a statement published on the eln-voices page. .net, where he usually publishes his pronouncements.
Alias ”Fabián” was the most important leader that the guerrillas had on Colombian soil and the government pointed out that he was responsible for the displacement of more than 4,000 people and the author of crimes such as murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking.
Defense Minister Diego Molano said on Thursday in response to the ELN’s warnings that “the Colombian state, from its indisputable legitimacy, does not accept threats from narco-terrorists.” Molano anticipated, through a video released to the press, that they will continue with the operations against the ELN. “Either they cease their criminal act and mobilize or the legitimate and legal action of the Colombian State will go after them.”
Alias “Fabián” would have been wounded in a military operation on September 16, the day on which the Defense Minister reported on a bombing in which six guerrilla members were “neutralized” in the rural area of Chocó, west of the country.
However, on September 28, the minister indicated that alias “Fabián” had been captured dying in the jungle and transferred by the Army to a medical center in Cali, in the southwest of the country, where he finally died.
The ELN demanded explanations from the Colombian government regarding compliance with humanitarian protocols for the treatment of those captured alive and wounded. “It is mandatory for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver an official report to the national opinion and to the National Command of the ELN of what happened since the bombing of the camp until the moment that the death of Commander Fabián is reported”, indicated the guerrilla.
Alias “Fabián” joined the ELN four decades ago. According to the Colombian police, he was first a low-ranking guerrilla and rose to the leadership of several fronts.
Against “Fabián” there was a red notice from Interpol for the crimes of kidnapping for extortion and conspiracy to commit a crime, as well as two blue notifications for murder, kidnapping and illegal recruitment.
The ELN was founded in the early 1960s inspired by the Cuban revolution and Liberation Theology.
The government of President Iván Duque rose from the negotiating table with the ELN in January 2019 after the guerrillas attacked a police school and killed 22 people.
Since then, Colombia has asked Cuba for the extradition of the top guerrilla leaders. Cuba has refused, alleging compliance with a protocol signed between the Colombian State and the guarantor countries of a peace negotiation with the ELN, which provided that in the event of a breakdown, the command would have a few days to return to its camps.
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