Colombian Army Kills 7 ELN Rebels, Maybe Peace Talks Too?

The Colombian army killed at least seven ELN guerrillas in a special operation Saturday that took place near its border with Venezuela – an attack that is sure to have repercussions for the preliminary peace negotiations between the rebel group and the Colombian government.  
 
Two other ELN (National Liberation Army) members were captured in Sunday's offensive in the northern department of Arauca.  

The Colombian Defense Ministry later tweeted that six rebels were successfully “neutralized” in the special operation. Meanwhile, the presidency tweeted a special congratulations to its troops for the “strong blow against the ELN in Arauca.”

#Atención Seis neutralizados y dos capturados del Eln producto de operación de @COL_EJERCITO @FuerzaAereaCol @PoliciaColombia en Arauca.

— Mindefensa Colombia (@mindefensa) February 20, 2016

"Six neutralized and two captured ELN, product of the operation @COL_EJERCITO" 

 

"Felicitaciones a nuestras Fuerzas Armadas por duro golpe al ELN": @JuanManSantos

— Presidencia Colombia (@infopresidencia) February 20, 2016

"Congratulations to our Armed Forces for the blow to the ELN"

According to Army Commander, General Alberto Mejia, the attack was a joint operation between army intelligence, the national air force, the national police and had the full support of the attorney general. 

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However, the attacks comes as the ELN and the government have been trying to undergo preliminary peace discussions in an effort to end the ongoing fighting in the country. The talks have been tense in past weeks as both sides have accused the other of stalling negotiations while aggression on the ground continues. 

The ongoing hostilities threaten to put in jeopardy the peace talks between the government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels – Colombia's largest guerrilla group – who are aiming to sign a final peace deal by their self-imposed deadline of March 23. 

The two sides have been undergoing negotiations in Havana, Cuba, for over three years in an attempt to bring the five decades of fighting to an end, which has seen over 220,000 people killed and millions more displaced or disappeared. 

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However, there remain several critical factors to actually reaching peace in the country, which include making peace with the second largest guerrilla group in the country, the ELN. 

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