National Liberation Army (Colombia)

National Liberation Army
National Liberation Army
Ejército de Liberación Nacional
	Logo of the ELN, text translates to "Not one step back, liberation or death."
Leaders	Camilo Torres Restrepo (dead); Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista (resigned); Pablo Beltrán (captured); Rafael Sierra Granados (captured); Manuel Peréz (dead); Gustavo Aníbal Giraldo (dead); Antonio García;
Dates of operation	1964–present
Active regions	In Colombia: especially in the departments of Arauca, Cauca, Choco, Norte de Santander and Nariño and the subregion of Bajo Cauca Antioquia. Also active in Venezuela.
Ideology	Communism; Marxism–Leninism; Guevarism; Foco theory; Latin American liberation theology; Catholic communism; Left-wing nationalism; Revolutionary socialism; Camilism;
Political position	Far-left
Size	5,000
Part of	Simón Bolívar Guerrilla Coordinating Board (1987–1994)
Allies	Venezuela (from 2014) Tupamaro; FARC-EP
Opponents	Colombia government; Right-wing paramilitary groups; FARC dissidents; United States government;
Designated as a terrorist group by	Canada; New Zealand; European Union; United States;
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The National Liberation Army (Spanish: Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) is a far-left guerrilla insurgency group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict, which has existed in Colombia since 1964. The ELN advocates a composite communist ideology of Marxism–Leninism and Latin American liberation theology. In 2013, it was estimated that the ELN forces consisted of between 1,380 and 3,000 guerrillas. According to former ELN national directorate member Felipe Torres, one-fifth of ELN supporters have taken up arms. The ELN has been classified as a terrorist organization by the governments of Colombia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union.