Stuck in the Middle: ELN Hostages Remain Key Barrier to Peace Talks
The Colombian government, in an attempt to end a decades-long conflict in the country, has been engaging in talks with the far-left militant organisation Ejército de Liberacion Nacional (National Liberation Army, ELN) on and off since the early 2000s. With the election of hardliner Iván Duque as Colombian president in August 2018, the prospects for achieving an acceptable compromise appeared diminished. Duque has been highly critical of peace negotiations with militant groups conducted under his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos, and has demanded strict conditions to continue talks, including a unilateral ceasefire and an end to all criminal activities. With negotiations in a state of limbo, the threat of kidnap and extortion by the ELN remains significant in Colombia.
The ELN continues to maintain a notable presence in large areas across Colombia. Estimates of the size of the organisation put the number of members at approximately 2,500. However, recent kidnapping incidents recorded in Chocó Department in the west of the country and Arauca Department in the east, demonstrate both the organisation’s broad reach, as well as its capability and willingness to engage in armed operations.
The crux of further peace talks to end the ELN insurgency, according to the Duque administration, is the continued detainment of kidnapped citizens by the group. Among the most recent captures, and the two that were seen in relatively fresh proof-of-life video footage, are a manager from the Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Arauca (Public Service Enterprise of Arauca State), kidnapped on 28 March 2018, and a worker of an oil company subcontractor kidnapped in Saravena on 13 January 2018.
In early September 2018, reports emerged that nine people in total were released by the ELN after having been kidnapped weeks previously. This move was a goodwill gesture on the part of the ELN to try and restart the stalled peace talks being held in Havana, Cuba. Nevertheless, in an incident that serves to undermine the prospect of continued talks, on 27 September 2018, suspected members of the ELN kidnapped a businesswoman in Amagá, Antioquia department. Though it is uncertain exactly how many hostages different ELN fronts still have detained, estimates from the end of September 2018 indicate that 10 people are still being held by the militant group, some having been missing for over a decade.
The 27 September kidnapping underscores the current strained state of the process of peace and demobilisation negotiations between the ELN leadership and the Duque administration. The Duque administration’s insistence that all prisoners must be released before peace talks recommence has led to an impasse with the group.
Estimates from the end of September 2018 indicate that 10 people are still being held by the militant group.
It is unlikely that the ELN will acquiesce to the demand. An ELN commander stated in April 2018 that “we are a revolutionary insurgent organisation, thus we have the right to economic and political detentions”. In addition, the ELN is composed of different fronts throughout the country, with localised command structures. As a result, it will be difficult to guarantee the release of all prisoners in all areas. Finally, the release of prisoners is the forefront issue amongst a broader demand made by the Duque government: that the ELN stop all criminal activities, which include drug trafficking and sales, extortion and control of illegal mining. The ELN insists that these demands are not only unreasonable, but also run counter to what was agreed before the start of the Havana-based talks.
The 27 September kidnapping, therefore, is indicative that the ELN looks unlikely to abandon this particular tactic in its ongoing insurgency against the Colombian government. It is likely that the ELN’s violent activity, including attacks or ambushes against security forces, as well as extortion, and kidnapping attacks will continue in the foreseeable future, and escalate if peace talks collapse entirely.
Travellers to, and operators with interests in, Colombia should continue to give close consideration to the threat of kidnap for ransom in the country. S-RM has a professional and experienced team, qualified to prevent and respond to Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion (KRE) incidents and wider crises. Our team has 550 years of collective experience in this field, having managed well in excess of 1,200 cases.
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For more information on S-RM's KRE capabilities, please contact our Head of Crisis Response, Peter Doherty.