On Wednesday, the ELN guerrilla group, currently engaged in peace negotiations with the government, carried out an attack that killed nine soldiers in the department of Norte de Santander, Colombia, according to reports by the Army and President Gustavo Petro. The government attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army (ELN), with eight additional soldiers reported wounded.
The ELN has been in dialogue with Petro’s emissaries since November 2021, but they have yet to reach a ceasefire agreement, and the armed group has denied being part of a truce with the government. The attack marks the deadliest incident since Petro assumed office in August 2022.
Colombia continues to struggle with a long-standing armed conflict fueled by drug trafficking, with “Total Peace,” Petro’s policy aimed at ending conflicts, facing difficulties in implementation.