US EditionColombia’s ELN rebels free 5 police officers as they push for national accord
The National Liberation Army freed five police officers seized in Catatumbo to advance peace talks and national accord efforts amid ongoing conflict.
- On Monday, the National Liberation Army released five police officers taken hostage on Jan. 6 while off duty and traveling by bus in the Catatumbo region.
- The ELN framed the release as part of a push for a 'national accord' and said it wants to work with Colombia's new government after elections this year on poverty, ecosystems and the rural drug trade.
- In a social media post, the national defender's office said Colombia's national agency for the defense of human rights shared photos of fighters in camouflage releasing officers and urged armed groups to free all detainees.
- Peace talks were suspended last year after an ELN offensive in Catatumbo forced more than 50,000 people to flee, and President Gustavo Petro said the group must abandon drug trafficking and recruiting minors to resume talks.
- The U.S. State Department designated the National Liberation Army a foreign terrorist organization in 1997, and recent talks involved the group’s willingness to unite with other rebel groups in Colombia.
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Colombia's ELN Rebels Free 5 Police Officers as They Push for National ...
Associated Press News
Colombia's ELN rebels free 5 police officers as they push for national accord
Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group on Monday released five police officers it had kidnapped during the first week of January, as it pushes for a “national accord” to overcome political conflicts in the South American nation.
Bogotá, 19 Jan (Prensa Latina) The National Liberation Army (ELN) today released the five police officers it had held since January 6 in the Catatumbo region of northeastern Colombia, according to the Ombudsman's Office. The post ELN released five police officers detained in Catatumbo, Colombia first appeared on Noticias Prensa Latina.
Five police officers kidnapped by Eln are released at the Catatumbo Agencia Period... Lun, 19/01/2026 - 15:02 Uniforms were detained when they were mobilized on a public service bus on the Cúcuta-Tibu road. Tags Regions
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