Antonio Garcia, leader of the largest guerrilla group in Colombia, backed a call for all militias in the country to unite to repel any U.S. operations there, according to a new report.
"If it's to defend the homeland against foreign aggression, we'll join the fight," said the leader of the ELN, in an interview with AFP. The ELN "does what it must at each stage of the struggle," he added.
The remark follows a call from Ivan Mordisco, the country's most wanted rebel and who leads a FARC dissident group, made the call for a unity pact.
"We know we have had our differences in the past (...) but today we're facing a common enemy," said Mordisco. "We summon you urgently to a summit of insurgent commanders from Colombia and all over our America," he said in a video address.
The ELN had already issued defiant statements following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, framing the attack as a violation of regional sovereignty and vowing armed resistance against Washington.
The group expressed "solidarity and support for the Venezuelan people and government" and called on Latin American nations to "reject the gringo aggression, defend national sovereignty, and embrace unity and popular resistance," as Infobae reported.
Separately, dissident members of the defunct FARC rebel army said in a message posted on X that they were prepared to spend their "last drop of blood fighting the U.S. empire," echoing the ELN's call for resistance.
An investigation published by InSight Crime in early December detailed the ELN's longstanding presence in Venezuela and its ties to the Maduro government. According to the report, three of the ELN's five main fighting divisions operate from Venezuelan territory, using it for logistics, training and cross-border movement.
Colombian intelligence officials cited by the otulet noted that ELN fighters have repeatedly crossed through Venezuela to launch offensives in Colombia, including a major campaign in the Catatumbo region that left more than 100 people dead earlier this year.
Another report claimed that the Venezuelan regime appears to have given the ELN a green light to control the border between the two countries.
In a guest essay for The New York Times, Elizabeth Dickinson, an expert on armed groups and organized crimes in Latin America, said the decision responded to fear that Colombia could serve as a back door for U.S. military operations.
The ELN, in consequence, used the context to further tighten its grip in the region. Now, Dickinson said, the ELN stands emboldened to challenge the authority of the Colombian state. In fact, they already have more control than the government in some areas there.
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