Kidnapped Journalists, the ELN, and Colombia’s Peace Process

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In late May 2016, journalists Salud Hernández, Diego D’Pablos, and Carlos Melo were abducted by armed men in the Catatumbo region of the department of Norte de Santander, Colombia.  It immediately became apparent that they were taken by members of Colombia’s second largest guerrilla group, the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional). Though they were quickly released, the incident pointed to the tensions building as the government of President Juan Manuel Santos brings to a close its process of peace negotiations with Colombia’s largest guerrilla army, the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia).  The unanswered question remains: where does the ELN fit into peace efforts in Colombia?