ELN

A dissident former leader of the FARC guerrillas was shot dead in Venezuela by other rebels, Colombian media reported on Dec. 5.

Citing Colombian and Venezuelan intelligence sources, several newspapers said Hernan Dario Velasquez, nicknamed "El Paisa" ("The Peasant"), had been ambushed in the state of Apure, on the border with Colombia.

Cuba will host peace talks between the Colombian government and leftist ELN rebels aimed at ending a five-decade conflict after Ecuador bowed out as host, negotiators said May 5.

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has suspended the ongoing peace talks between his government and the Army of National Liberation (ELN) after a faction of the rebel group claimed responsibility for several attacks that left seven policemen dead in the northern coastal region of the country.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - The government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the Army of National Liberation (ELN), the largest rebel faction in Colombia following the peace agreement reached with the FARC, have reached an unprecedented 102-day bilateral ceasefire as Pope Francis arrived in Colombia.

Colombia's government and ELN rebels have agreed to a ceasefire after months of talks, the rebels announced on Sept. 4. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos also confirmed the announcement and said that the government has agreed to a bilateral ceasefire with the ELN that will last 102 days.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - Seven people were killed during two ambushes at the western and eastern edges of the Colombian jungle and the government has blamed the Army of National Liberation (ELN) while the rebels have placed the blame on right-wing paramilitary unit operating in the areas as the two sides attempt peace talks.

QUITO, Ecuador - With the help of neighbor and host Ecuador, Colombia's government has finally entered into peace talks with the nation's second-largest rebel group, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) or the Army of National Liberation, in Quito.

The Colombian government has opened the first round of peace talks with the ELN rebel group, seeking to end a 53-year conflict that has killed more than 260,000.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said his government will enter into negotiations for an eventual peace agreement with the nation's second-largest rebel group, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) or the Army of National Liberation, on February 7, just months after the peace agreement signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was ratified.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos postponed peace talks with the ELN rebels on Oct. 27 just hours before they were due to open, insisting they first release an ex-lawmaker being held hostage.

Santos said he remained committed to making peace but would not budge from his demand for the ELN to first free former congressman Odin Sanchez "safe and sound."