Colombia Suspends ELN Peace Talks After Catatumbo Ambush Kills Nine Soldiers

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Colombia’s government declared the formal collapse of peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army on Thursday, accusing the rebel group of carrying out a lethal ambush that killed nine soldiers and shattered a 10-month ceasefire, in what represents the most serious breakdown in the country’s fragile peace architecture in years.

The attack occurred in the Catatumbo region near the Venezuelan border, where ELN fighters ambushed an army patrol, killing six soldiers outright and mortally wounding three who died en route to hospital. The National Liberation Army claimed responsibility within hours, saying the soldiers had violated agreed-upon patrol zones.

President Gustavo Petro, who had staked much of his political legacy on bringing the ELN into a formal peace process, convened an emergency cabinet meeting and announced the suspension of all ongoing negotiations. “We offered peace, and they chose war,” Petro said in a televised address. “The door is closed for now.”

The ambush marks a sharp reversal after months of cautious optimism. The ELN and the government signed a bilateral ceasefire in November 2025 that had largely held, reducing guerrilla violence to its lowest levels in two decades. Both sides had been engaged in exploratory talks in Havana, with international mediators from Norway and Venezuela facilitating the dialogue.

Colombian military officials said the ELN’s 33rd Front carried out the attack in retaliation for a series of army raids that dismantled three cocaine processing labs in the Catatumbo region over the past two weeks. The military raids were authorized under the ceasefire framework as anti-narcotics operations, but the ELN disputed that characterization, calling the incursions a violation of the agreed military protocol.

The ambush drew immediate condemnation from the United Nations, the United States, and Colombia’s neighbors. The U.S. State Department called it “a grave setback for peace and stability in the hemisphere” and said it was reviewing whether to reinstate suspended sanctions on ELN leadership. The ELN is classified as a foreign terrorist organization by Washington.

Regional analysts warned the ceasefire collapse could open space for other armed groups. “Catatumbo is a tinderbox,” said María Elena Álvarez, a Colombia security analyst at the Universidad de los Andes. “When the ELN pulls back from negotiations, the Bacrim move in. We’ve seen this pattern before.” The BACRIM refers to post-FARC criminal organizations that have contested ELN influence in drug-trafficking corridors along the border.

Human rights organizations expressed concern for civilian populations caught between the groups. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was preparing emergency response teams for the Catatumbo region, where an estimated 40,000 people already live under humanitarian alert due to repeated displacement. Local mayors reported that at least 2,000 residents had begun fleeing their homes within hours of the attack.

The ELN’s top commander released an audio statement Thursday evening in which he said the group remained “open to dialogue when conditions of respect are restored,” but laid primary responsibility for the breakdown on government military operations. The statement did not indicate whether the group would resume offensive actions beyond Thursday’s ambush.

Defense Minister Iván Vela said the armed forces had been directed to return to full combat posture in all regions where the ELN operates. He added that additional troop reinforcements would be sent to Catatumbo within 48 hours.

The collapse leaves Colombia without an active peace negotiation for the first time since 2016, when the government reached a landmark accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. That peace deal held despite repeated challenges, but the ELN process was always more fragile, built on narrower institutional foundations and dependent heavily on Petro’s personal political capital.