Colombia experienced four days of chaos. Between Sunday, December 14 and Wednesday, December 17, the ELN carried out what it called ‘armed strike’ in nine departments of the country, leaving a balance of 93 violent events that affected roads, oil pipelines, police stations and the civilian population.
The armed strike included 48 direct actions against the Public Force, the installation of 10 explosive devices (18 were detonated), the burning of four vehicles, damage to a toll, damage to the railway network, two combats, one harassment and 12 proselytizing actions using flags, graffiti and intimidating messages on national routes.
Valle del Cauca recorded the most serious victims: in Cali, a coordinated strike culminated in the activation of an explosive as a police patrol passed by on the Simón Bolívar Highway, leaving two deputy mayors dead. In Buenaventura, the road to Buga was closed due to the presence of a cylinder bomb.
Arauca concentrated one of the highest volumes of attacks. In Arauquita, Tame and Fortul, structures such as ‘Camilo Cien Fuegos’ and ‘Omaira Montoya Henao’ installed explosive cylinders at the entrances to towns, burned an oil vehicle and left a civilian injured after a detonation in the rural area of Tame.
Cauca also suffered the impact: illegal checkpoints on the Panamericana in Mondomo, marking of vehicles with slogans of the armed group, flags in Cajibío, Piendamó, Patía and Caldono, in addition to an attack with an explosive drone against a police substation in Patía that injured a uniformed man.
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In Antioquia, the situation was concentrated in Copacabana, Valdivia and Salgar, where an intermunicipal bus was burned on the Medellín-Costa Atlántica road, flags with explosives were installed and a combat was recorded in Valdivia between the Army and the ‘Héroes de Tarazá’ front, with no reported military casualties.
Cesar was no exception: road blockades, attacks on the Caño Limón-Coveñas oil pipeline in La Gloria, devices on the Ruta del Sol and offensives against Police stations in Chiriguaná and Pelaya. Army units neutralized multiple explosives in Curumaní and La Jagua de Ibirico.
Norte de Santander registered massive closures in Pamplonita, Tibú and Villa del Rosario due to suspicious cylinders, intimidating notices in Cúcuta-Tibú and Cúcuta-Sardinata corridors, in addition to an attack with rifle bursts against the Puerto Santander police station.
La Guajira reported fighting in Maicao where the ELN abandoned weapons, burning of a tractor-trailer, damage to the railway line between Albania and Uribia, and harassment of a military base in Villanueva.
In Santander, a motorcycle bomb was located at the La Lizama toll, there were preventive closures on the Bucaramanga-Barrancabermeja highway and an explosion on a gas line in Barrancabermeja, the magnitude of which is still being verified.
Tolima only reported the discovery of an object with ELN insignia on a bridge in Flanders, which was removed without confirmation of explosives.
Despite all the terrorist attacks, Antonio García, top commander of the ELN, indicated that the armed group remains willing to move forward with what was agreed in the peace process with the Government.
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