Public statement from the central command of the National Liberation Army – ELN, on the events in Catatumbo and the falsehoods of the intelligence services and the large media.
The National Government and the Communication Companies that are functional to the political regime have installed a matrix of opinion to demonize the ELN, because it questions its mistaken peace policies that do nothing but recycle violence, with the creation of new paramilitary groups made up of demobilized people and the oxygenation of the old ones like the Clan del Golfo.
All these expressions of paramilitarism are the most active actors in the State’s counterinsurgency plan, within the Doctrine of proxy wars, which are financed by drug trafficking.
For 33 years, the ELN has maintained continuous dialogues with the respective governments. With some, more progress has been made than with others, but there has been a lack of continuity on their part, as there is no true State peace policy that goes beyond their belief or doctrine, limited to achieving the demobilization and disarmament of the guerrillas, while maintaining the social, political and economic structures that reproduce injustice, exclusion and political persecution, which is ultimately the original cause of the armed conflict and continues to reproduce it.
We have been clear when we point out that peace means changes that benefit all Colombians, and that society as a whole must participate in the formulation of said changes. There we will be able to appreciate that what we point out, as the aspiration of the majority of the country, is also the aspiration of the ELN.
For the above, the ELN will never accept submission or surrender as a peace policy.
“Total Peace” has been a Petro policy that has allowed paramilitary gangs and groups a certain “political status” to carry out coordinated actions with the State and its Armed Forces within its counterinsurgency plan, which seeks among its fundamental objectives to surrender and subdue the ELN.
This plan has been carried out in Cauca, Arauca, Chocó and has been developing in a latent manner in Catatumbo. The basis for the configuration of these new expressions of paramilitarism has been the demobilized members of the Ex-FARC activated and supported by the Military Forces.
In Catatumbo, a plan against the ELN was being configured with the purpose of annihilating the Northeastern War Front, in an alliance between the Colombian State and the Ex-FARC Gangs, in addition to destabilizing the border by carrying out false flag operations.
For this reason, when they carried out the murder of Miguel Ángel, his wife and his small son, to blame it on the ELN, the alarms went off and the National Directorate and the ELN General Staff gave the order to begin military operations against the self-proclaimed “Front 33” of the Ex-Farc.
At no time have actions been carried out against the civilian population or for simply being signatories of the peace, but rather for being armed and active under a military command in plans against the ELN and the communities of Catatumbo.
So far no commander or combatant has moved from Arauca to Catatumbo, it has not been necessary, but when there have been other types of threats, the ELN troops are of a national character and the Central Command has the mandate and authority to do so. In this, military intelligence is lying to the country, because they know it very well, there is bad intention to distort reality and thus take advantage.
The actions of the Military Forces in all these regions where they confront old and new paramilitarism are based on permanent cooperation and coordination, and they follow the counterinsurgency plan. What is new is that now they do it openly and when they are fought by us they protect them, and it also seems that this is the nation they claim to protect.
ELN