Terrorist groups - home based:
National Liberation Army (Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, ELN): aim(s): represent the rural poor against the nation's wealthy and block the privatization of national resources area(s) of operation: the nation's second-largest insurgent group operates mainly in the rural and mountainous areas in the northeast, especially Arauca Province, and is active in the northern and southwestern regions and along the borders with Venezuela and Ecuador; after lengthy behind-the-scenes discussions, peace talks with the Colombian Government officially began on 7 February 2017 in Quito, Ecuador, with Colombia releasing imprisoned members to serve as peace negotiators and ELN releasing former congressman Odin Sanchez, who ELN has held since April 2016; as of June 2017, negotiators on both sides remained committed to moving toward a bilateral ceasefire, on the condition that ELN cease and desist engaging in kidnappings, extortion, and other illegal practices; claimed responsibility for the 19 February 2017 bombing near the Santamaria Bullring in Bogota that killed one police officer and injured 26 police officers and at least four civilians; on 25 January 2017, an international narcotics investigation in Colombia led to the seizure of just under 4 metric tons of cocaine, the largest drug seizure ever involving the ELN; the group has a long history of engaging in narcotics production and trafficking, extortion, and kidnappings for ransom to fund operations; has increased its revenue from the narcotics trade in 2017; Colombian forces continue to pursue leaders and members, especially those who oppose peace talks and are conducting lethal attacks on Military personnel or civilians; historically, group leaders directed attacks against primarily Colombian political, military, security, and economic figures and targeted foreign citizens for kidnappings for ransom; assessed in 2017 to have 1,500-2,500 members
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC): aim(s): enter the political arena to change Colombia's economic model, nationalize industries like oil and mining, and renegotiate free trade deals; historically, FARC's aim has been to install a Marxist-Leninist regime in Colombia through a violent revolution area(s) of operation: headquartered in Uribe, Narino Department, in the southwest on the border with Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean shores; recognized as the nation's largest insurgent group, with less than 10,000 members in recent years; active mostly in Colombia's center, northeast, and mountainous southwest; historically, operatives have targeted Colombian political, military, and economic figures and structures for attack and foreign citizens for kidnappings for ransom; on 29 August 2016, a bilateral ceasefire went into effect between FARC leaders and the Colombian Government, followed by peace talks between FARC leader Rodrigo LONDONO and Colombia's President Juan Manuel SANTOS; on 30 November 2016, the Colombian Congress approved a peace accord between the FARC and Colombian Government; both sides remain committed to peace; FARC has commenced disarming in UN-monitored zones, with an estimated 7,000 members turning in their weapons by mid-March 2017 and preparing to reintegrate into civilian life; in exchange for disarmament, the government will allow FARC to form an official political party and integrate fighters into society through measures such as funding education and providing housing and jobs; FARC is striving to be ready to participate in 2018 elections as a political party; an estimated 300 FARC members remain resistant to demobilization, including the Armando Rios First Front's estimated 200 fighters; the five-decade conflict resulted in tens of thousands missing persons, massive land seizures, an estimated 5.7 million people displaced from their homes—primarily peasants, and at least 220,000 Colombian lives lost, including thousands of soldiers and police personnel; FARC leaders have vowed to cease participating in the narcotics trade, which has been the group's principal source of revenue for the past several years; an increasing number of members have defected recently to use their heavy-weapons skills to serve South American drug traffickers