FARC and ELN, key players in Colombia’s guerrilla fight
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN) are the main insurgent groups in Colombia’s decades-long civil conflict. President Juan Manuel Santos plans to establish negotiations today with the ELN and salvage a separate peace accord with the FARC, which voters have rejected in a referendum. Following is a factfile on key differences between the two groups.
Farmers and students
FARC: Born in May 1964 out of a peasant uprising, the FARC mostly comprises guerrillas from rural areas. The group follows a MarxistLeninist doctrine and holds land reform as a core issue. ELN: Founded in July 1964 and primarily inspired by the Cuban revolution, the ELN also draws on liberation theology and Catholic power channeled in favor of the poor. The group has a strong urban influence, especially among students and trade unions.
Vertical hierarchy and federalism
FARC: Created in the image of Soviet communism, the group operates with strong leadership and a vertical hierarchy, with a secretariat composed of nine commanders and Commander-in-Chief Rodrigo Londono, better known by his noms de guerre Timoleon Jimenez or “Timochenko.” ELN: The group has a federal structure-each front has its own voice. It includes a central committee (COCE) with five members, directed by Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista or “Gabino.” Analysts say its leadership has flexibility. Some point to Gustavo Anibal Giraldo, or “Pablito”-leader of the ELN’s Eastern Front and the source of 40 percent of the group’s armed actions-as reticent toward a political solution to the conflict.
FARC: The group has 5,765 fighters according to the FARC’s own figures. The government estimates that for each one there are one to three militia members collaborating with the group, which is active in 25 of the country’s 32 departments. ELN: Some 1,500 fighters-according to official estimates-are active in 10 departments. The ELN has a wider social base than the FARC, according to experts, even though the number of militia members or supporters is unknown.
Drug trafficking and hostages
The FARC and the ELN have financed their operations through drug trafficking, as well as with ransom kidnappings and extortion. Taking hostages has become the “primary funding source” of the ELN, according to Jorge Restrepo, head of the Conflict Analysis Resource Center in Bogota. In recent years illegal mining has also contributed funding to both groups.
Land and citizen participation
Though the agendas of the two guerrilla groups coincide on many points, their goals are different. According to political scientist Victor de Currea-Lugo, the FARC’s central perspective is agrarian, while the ELN has a broader goal of social transformation. There are common themes in the roadmaps of both negotiationswhich both include six key points-including agreements on justice for victims, ceasefire and disarmament and ratifying the accord. The ELN’s negotiation plan also includes themes of societal change, political participation, and “democracy for peace,” while the FARC wants agreements on drug trafficking, land reform and a future political role for rebels. —AFP