Colombia’s ELN rebels make preparations for renewed fighting as new president Abelardo de la Espriella takes office

Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president on Aug. 7, setting the stage for a tougher security approach toward the National Liberation Army, known as the ELN, the leftwing guerrilla force that remains active in parts of the country. In an on-the-ground account published by The Guardian, ELN fighters described and were shown in positions that, the report says, reflect preparations for a renewed period of armed action as the new government moves toward an expanded military offensive.

The report’s narrative focuses on ELN members operating near a riverbank and taking cover along a tree line in camouflaged positions. In that setting, the story describes an ELN commander sitting with his rifle on his lap in the jungle understory as insects and ambient noise fill the area. The scene is presented as an example of how the group is organizing for potential contact, movement, and enforcement of its areas of influence as political leadership changes in Bogotá.

The Guardian report frames the timing as particularly significant because de la Espriella’s presidency is accompanied by a pledge of a more forceful campaign against the ELN. While the article emphasizes that the preparations are taking place away from government-controlled communities, it ties those preparations to the political and military shift that, according to the reporting, is expected to bring increased pressure on guerrilla operations.

In the coverage, the ELN is described as Colombia’s last leftwing rebel group, an assessment that places the burden of the armed conflict largely on one remaining major insurgent organization rather than a broader multi-group environment. That context matters for security planning, because an offensive aimed at a single dominant actor can affect patterns of displacement, local safety, and the availability of government services in remote areas where the ELN has been able to operate.

The report does not provide a full operational timeline of specific ELN attacks or specific battlefield events under the new government. Instead, it concentrates on early indicates of readiness, presenting the on-site preparations as the kind of groundwork that rebel forces may undertake when anticipating intensified state action. The article’s approach underscores that the most immediate visible change after a change in presidential leadership can be the posture of armed groups in the field.

De la Espriella’s team has said it will pursue a new military offensive, and the ELN preparations described in the report align with the kind of response rebel leadership typically makes when it expects pressure to increase. The next phase for communities in areas where the ELN is active will depend on how quickly the government translates policy and campaign promises into operational deployments, and whether the increased presence changes day-to-day security conditions for civilians in surrounding settlements and transport corridors.

With the president now in office, Colombian authorities are expected to proceed through their legal and command structures to define rules of engagement, coordination with local institutions, and enforcement priorities. For the ELN, the preparations described in the reporting suggest a readiness to resume or intensify armed activity, but further confirmed information about specific incidents, casualties, and territorial changes would require additional reporting beyond the scene-setting account published on Aug. 7.