ELN Bombing in Bogotá Slams Faltering Peace Talks with the Colombian Government

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The car bombing at a police academy in Colombia’s capital on January 17, 2019, reminded Colombians of deadly attacks carried out during earlier chapters of its guerrilla conflict in the 1980s and 1990s. The attack in Bogotá left 21 dead and 68 injured, and was the most lethal bombing in over a decade. The Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), the last major guerrilla army operating in Colombia, eventually took responsibility for the attack and characterized it as a legitimate action against a militarily appropriate target. Though many observers spoke of the context in which the administration of President Iván Duque is doing little to protect leftist leaders from murder, next to no one was willing to defend their action. Most pundits encouraged both sides, indeed demanded, that they continue peace talks.

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