BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a resolute call for citizens to celebrate the Christmas season without intimidation, following the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group’s declaration of an armed strike across multiple regions. The left-wing insurgents announced restrictive measures effective from Sunday through Wednesday morning, demanding civilian confinement to homes and suspension of commercial and transportation activities.
The ELN justified their coercive actions as retaliation against what they termed a ‘counterinsurgency plan’ by the government and ‘imperialist aggression’ in reference to U.S. military operations in the region. The rebel directive specifically warned residents in Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Popayan and Barrancabermeja to avoid proximity to police and military installations.
President Petro characterized the ELN’s pronouncements as direct threats against Colombian sovereignty rather than merely against U.S. interests. He has authorized security forces to engage the rebel group while encouraging public defiance of their intimidation tactics. ‘Fear paralyzes us, and we will not allow ourselves to be threatened either by foreign powers or by drug traffickers dressed up as revolutionaries,’ Petro asserted.
The escalating tension occurs against the backdrop of increased U.S. military presence in the region, with American forces reporting over 80 casualties in anti-narcotics operations since September. These strikes initially targeted vessels off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast before expanding to the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Petro administration has condemned these operations as disproportionate use of force, with the president characterizing them as ‘murders.’
This confrontation represents another deterioration in government-rebel relations since Petro suspended peace negotiations with the ELN in January following rebel attacks that killed approximately 80 people in the Catatumbo region.