Timeline of events & attacks on the economy
1960s: ELN was formed due to the desire to reform society and form a more equal foundation. Religious movements were taking place all over Columbia.
1966: ELN gained international attention when it recruited Father Camilo Torres, a well-educated Roman Catholic priest. He joined the ELN following his unsuccessful efforts at organizing a political opposition to the National Front government. He was killed in his first battle.
1969: Inspired by Torres, Spanish priest, Father Manuel Perez joined the ELN
“Perez was instrumental in establishing the ideology of the ELN which proposed to establish a Christian and communist regime that would resolve the socioeconomic problems of chronic political corruption, poverty and the political exclusion of most Colombians.”
1973: The armed forces proclaimed that they had “virtually destroyed” the ELN
1975 /1976: Participated in several kidnappings, bank robberies, and assassinations, including the killing of Inspector-General of the Army General José Ramón Rincón Quioñes.
1984: Only major guerrilla group that did not sign the 1984 cease-fire agreement. Their non-participation, as well as the kidnapping of President Betancur’s brother, earned the organization a scolding from Cuban leader Fidel Castro Ruz . A few ELN fronts reached a temporary cease-fire agreement with the government.
1980s: Size was estimated at 500. Participated in kidnappings and attacks on petroleum installations, pipelines, and exploratory drilling sites to upset the national economy and to make aware the misuse of Colombia’s natural resources by foreign companies.
2002: Experienced a decline in personnel and resources after Alvaro Uribe took over the presidency, but its shift to the drug trade has led to increasing revenues and capabilities.
Currently: Has 1,500 fighters remains on U.S. and European lists of terrorist organizations. Announced the beginning of formal peace talks.
One way in which the ELN continuously attacks the economy is by assaulting infrastructure projects. One such example took place when ELN attacked an oil camp in Arauca, Columbia. Two homemade explosive devices were used and thirteen oil workers were injured.
Also, ELN has confessed to committing at least fifty attacks on different petroleum operations.
Major Attacks:
- October 18, 1998: Blew up an Ocensa pipeline in the Colombian department of Antioquia. The subsequent oil spill incinerated 46 houses, killing 84 people and injuring 30 others. 84 killed, 30 wounded.
- April 1999: Hijacked an Avianca flight, landed it in a remote location and took all passengers and crew hostage. 1 killed, 46 hostages.
- May 1999: Dressed as Colombian military personnel kidnapped 186 people from a Calí church. It is the single largest kidnapping in Colombia’s history. (Unknown casualties).
- September 18, 2000: Set up roadblocks outside the city of Cali and kidnapped 58 people. Twenty-five of the victims were quickly released because they were either not wealthy enough or too many members of the same family were being held. (Unknown casualties)
- October 7, 2009: Helped Carlos Marin Guarin , one of their top leaders, escape from a jail in Arauca as he was about to be moved to a jail in Bogota. The operation, codenamed Operation Che Guevara, demonstrated the ELN’s increasing capabilities. (1 killed, 1 wounded).
Full list here: ELN TIMELINE INFO
Size Estimates:
- 1973: 200
- 1990: 5000
- 2002: 35000
- 2004: 3000-5000
- 2009: 2200-3000
- 2010: 5000
- 2011: 3000