ELN commanders claim Petro’s Total Peace is becoming “Total War”

Two commanders of Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group declared that President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” policy is intensifying the conflict in the volatile Catatumbo region, displacing tens of thousands of people.

In a rare interview with AFP, the ELN commanders known by their aliases “Ricardo” and “Silvana Guerrero” affirmed that the Maoist organization is prepared to continue their counter-offensive despite the national government’s pledge to demobilize illegal armed groups. They accused Petro’s administration of shifting away from peace efforts and escalating military operations instead.

“If more soldiers keep arriving, the confrontation will surely continue because we will defend ourselves,” Ricardo said from a clandestine camp in the mountains of Catatumbo, a region along the Venezuelan border where armed groups vie for control of drug trafficking routes.

Petro’s government has deployed more than 10,000 troops to the area in an attempt to curb rising violence. The offensive comes amid a bloody territorial dispute between the ELN and a dissident faction of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), known as the 33rd Front. Official figures show at least 76 people have been killed in the fighting since January, and the United Nations says nearly 100,000 civilians have been affected, with mass displacements ongoing.

Petro’s “total peace” initiative is under intense scrutiny as violence continues unabated in the departments of Norte de Santander, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Arauca, and Nariño. The ELN, Colombia’s last major left-wing guerrilla organization, has engaged in talks with the government but remains active in drug trafficking and extortion.

“The peace policy was a failure,” Silvana Guerrero said. “In the end, it’s becoming Total War.”

The ELN’s control over parts of Catatumbo is key to smuggling cocaine into Venezuela, from where it is shipped to international markets. Analysts say the ongoing clashes with FARC dissidents reflect competition for lucrative trafficking routes rather than ideological differences.

Petro has warned that military force will be used against armed groups resisting peace efforts. “The ELN has chosen the path of war, and war it shall have,” he wrote on the social media platform X in January.

President Petro has recently shifted focus to negotiating the demobilization of the 33rd Front, move some analysts view as an attempt to weaken the ELN’s hold over the region. “Maybe soon, we will see a counteroffensive in Catatumbo on a different scale,” Guerrero said.

The violence in Catatumbo has triggered one of Colombia’s worst humanitarian crises in years. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that at least 91,000 people have been affected by the conflict, with more than 50,000 forced from their homes.

Many of the displaced have sought refuge in urban centers such as Cúcuta, Tibú, and Ocaña, where shelters and social services are overwhelmed. The UN warns that mobility restrictions in rural areas are preventing thousands from fleeing, leaving them trapped amid the fighting.

Women and children are particularly vulnerable. A UNICEF report found that at least four children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition, while another 46 are at risk.

Human rights groups have raised concerns over attacks on community leaders and former rebels who signed Colombia’s 2016 peace accord. OCHA reported an increase in threats against peace signatories and activists, with armed groups targeting them to consolidate territorial control.

Colombian authorities have stepped up efforts to capture key ELN figures, including Guerrero, whose real name is Luz Amanda Payares. The government is offering a US$25,000 reward for information leading to her arrest.

As the corruption-plagued government of President Petro appears still open to negotiating with criminal organizations, the escalation of the conflict in Catatumbo and along the Pacific coast confirms that under the leftist leader’s watch, both ELN and FARC dissidents have strengthened their territorial presence and continue to grow in strength. The deepening conflict in Catatumbo has no resolution in sight, and civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence.

On Sunday, two separate attacks in the city of Ocaña, Norte de Santande,r claimed the lives of six individuals, including a child. The attack against the victims who were inside a corner store was carried-out by motorized assailants and amounts to the 13th massacre so-far this year, as monitored by the Human Rights Observatory – Indepaz.