ELN or National Liberation Army (Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, in Spanish) is a revolutionary Marxist, insurgent, guerrilla group in Colombia. In it's infancy it was strongly influenced by liberation theology, today, it functions more like the larger Marxist rebel group FARC.

The National Liberation Army was founded in 1964 by Fabio Vasquez Castano who was trained by Fidel Castro in Cuba during the 60's. Father Camilo Torres Restrepo, a priest, joined ELN to incorporate the philosophies of liberation theology into an existing revolutionary group. Restrepo was killed in his first combat action with the group.

Unlike FARC, who predominately use drug trafficking to finance their guerrilla war efforts, the National Liberation Army leans on the kidnapping of Colombian (and US) citizens to acquire ransoms for their victims.

During 1973 and 1974 the ELN was crippled by military operations carried out by the Colombian Military. The ELN was able to escape and rebuild the group based in part by Alfonso Lopez Michelsen government's inability to fully suppress ELN militarily, instead hoping that he could establish a peace process with the group. Government peace talks with the ELN have been going on since 2002 but no lasting peace has been achieved.

Formation

1. Founded: 1964
2. Founder: Fabio Vasquez Castano
3. Headquarters: in the Colombia mountains

General Information

1. Listed as Terrorist Organization by the U.S. and EU
2. ELN's numbers dropped from 5,000 in the 1990's to around 3,500 today
3. Drop in numbers due to active aggression by Colombian military and right-wing paramilitary
4. ELN has sought peace since June 1998

1973-1974 Action

1. 1973: Colombian military encircled ELN - all but 17 of the ELN were killed
2. Survivors included: Manuel Vasquez Castano, Manuel Perez and Nicolas Rodriguez Baustista

Key Personal

1. Fabio Vasquez Castano (founder)
2. Nicholas Rodriguez Bautista (current leader)
3. Francisco Galan
4. Ramiro Vargas
5. Father Camilo Torres Restrepo (deceased)
6. Antonio Garcia

Kidnapping

1. ELN: kidnapping for ransom one of it's main ways of raising money
2. 2001: Took over 800 hostages
3. 1999: hijacked a domestic airliner landing it on a deserted runway
4. Shortly after the airliner hijacking the ELN took an entire church hostage - 150 people
5. Colombian government believe ELN switched focus from kidnapping to drug trafficking

• 1965: Founded by Cuban-trained Fabio Vasquez Castano (became second guerrilla group)

• 1965: Father Camilo Torres joins the movement but dies during his first gun fight

• 1970's: during the late 1970's Father Manuel Perez and Nicholas Rodriguez Bautista

• 1973-1974: Colombian Military crippled ELN

• 1996: February 16, a U.S. citizen was kidnapped in Colombia, released after 9 months

• 1997: ELN attempts to have a bomb delivered to a polling place in Cucuta by a 9 year old child

• 1998: October 18 ELN blew up part of an oil pipeline

• 1998: death of leader Father Manuel Perez

• 1999: March 23 in Boyaca, Colombia, ELN kidnapped U.S. citizen demanding $400,000 he was released on July 20, 1999 unharmed for a $48,000 ransom

• 1999: April ELN hijacked a plane with the intent of kidnapping all on board

• 1999: May 30 ELN kidnapped 160 people including 6 American's in Cali Colombia, they released 80, including 3 U.S. citizens later that day

• 2000: February ELN establishes a blockade on a major highway, demanding a demiliratized zone for peace talks

• 2000: March 27, ELN kidnapped 5 year old U.S. citizen and his Colombian mother for an undisclosed ransom

• 2000: September 18 ELN accused of kidnapping 40 from picnic area

• 2001: ELN declares unilateral Christmas truce

• 2001: Glenn Heggstad while riding a motorcycle through Colombia was kidnapped by the ELN November 6, 2001 and held til December 8, 2001

• 2002: Government/ELN peace talks have been going on since 2002 but no lasting peace has been found

• 2003: December 21 ELN will release one British and four Israeli hostages Monday or Tuesday

• 2005: Exploratory discussions begin in Havana between ELN and Colombian government

• 2006: October 27 ELN and Colombian government announce from Cuba formal peace talks

• 2007: April 3rd ELN changes its main source of income from kidnapping to drug smuggling

• 2007: April 4th ELN denies they have started drug trafficking

• 2007: August 16th Colombia government leaders declare that they will stop referring to the ELN as a terrorist group but they will not stop believing that they are a terrorist group

• 2007: November 19 ELN and Colombian government agree to start peace talks again after a fruitful meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

• 2007: ELN agrees to remove land mines from a road to Samaniego, to improve socio-economic development in the region