General information
First Active Year: 1984
Current Name: EPL
Current Name full English: People’s Liberation Army
Current Name full native language: Ejército popular de liberación
Original Name: EPL
Original Name full English: People’s Liberation Army
Original Name full native language: Ejército popular de liberación
Actor Chronology
This section contains information about (if applicable) group splinters, name changes, and alliances according to the UCDP definitions of these concepts.
UCDP has not recorded any Chronology Activities involving this group.
Conflict issues
Government of Colombia - EPL
Conflict Goal Issues: EPL (Ejército Popular de Liberación; Popular Liberation Army) was a socialist, Marxist-Leninist rebel group founded in 1967 as an armed branch of the Communist Party of Colombia (Marxist-Leninist), itself an offshoot of the Columbian Communist Party. The group sought to transform Colombia into a socialist state. Most of EPL’s members demobilized following the 1991 peace agreement, forming the Hope, Peace and Liberty (Esperanza, Paz y Libertad) party. The first conflict goal issues located by the project was in a joint declaration together with three other Latin American Marxist-Leninist groups, on 30 September 1978. Some of the central issues raised in the declaration was that the correct path forward could only come through “the authentic liberation and independence of our peoples, popular democracy and socialism”. They also stressed the importance of changing the economic system and foreign policy, stating that any alliance with any great power “would in fact lead us to support and consolidate the exploitation exercised by that superpower (…)”. This reflected an anti-imperialist attitude which attributed much of the blame for the nation’s poverty to foreign exploitation. Generally, based on the statements found by the project, EPL continued to pursue most of the same conflict goal issues throughout the coded conflict-issue years. Issues did change in specifics or in rhetoric but remained consistent in the overarching critique, for example focusing less on imperialism and more on the influence of foreign capital. The EPL’s main conflict goal issues were implementing democracy and socialism, civil rights, and economic and foreign policy reform. These issues were all consistently repeated and received heavy emphasis throughout the coded period.
Conflict Dynamics Issues: The first conflict dynamics issues that the project found to have been raised by the EPL concerned decreasing foreign involvement, seeking both decreased foreign influence and withdrawal of foreign financial support to the government, specifically directed towards North America and the US. In the 1978 joint declaration, the group states that, “The US monopolies directly exploit the various branches of the economy of our countries”. The EPL are coded only as having raised a handful of conflict dynamics issues. At the same time, the group remained consistent and did not make substantial changes to their stance on those few issues that were raised. They consistently reiterated their stance on foreign involvement with criticism leveled specifically at the United States involvement, though they also did on occasion ask for help from outside actors like the International Red Cross, the Catholic church and later, the Venezuelan government. EPL’s main conflict dynamics issue was decreased foreign involvement. In particular, the removal of North American/US was the especially emphasized, frequently and continuously being mentioned in statements by the group.
Conflict Resolution Issues: The EPL first raised a conflict resolution issue with a call for negotiation in 1978, affirming a belief that the issues raised in the declarations could be resolved through negotiations by stating, “Currently, we propose that these problems should be dealt with through talks and negotiations”. Over time, the EPL mostly continued calling for negotiations, ceasefires, and national dialogue. However, they did voice opposition to negotiations and dialogue in select instances such as when the peace process failed in 1990, after which they commented, “As we can see, the peace process has been a failure and has certainly contributed to the strengthening of militarism and fascism”. Of the conflict resolution issues raised by the EPL, calls for negotiations would qualify best as the group’s main conflict resolution issue as it was the most frequently, most emphasized raised issue and was continually brough up over the course of the conflict.
Type of conflict issues: Conflict Goal Issues: Basic needs, Change economic system, Civil rights, Constitutional issues, Corruption, CPS: Democracy, CPS: Socialist state, Cultural rights, Disband para-military forces, Economic reforms, Foreign policy reform, Human rights, Labor rights, Law and order, Oust full executive, Protection of natural resources/the environment, Public services, Restructure military forces, Revenues from natural resources
Conflict Dynamics Issues: Atrocities and abuses, DFI: Removal of foreign influence, DFI: Withdrawal of financial support, IFI: Foreign mediator, IFI: Political support, Military conduct, Release of prisoners
Conflict Resolution Issues: Accountability/prosecution/investigation, Call for ceasefire, Call for negotiations, National dialogue, Opposition to negotiations, Structure of negotiations
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1984
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Colombia - EPL
1987
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Colombia - EPL
1988
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Colombia - EPL
1989
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Colombia - EPL
1990
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Colombia - EPL
Group Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1984 Group Archive
Government of Colombia - EPL
Comment on Name: Ejército popular de liberación, People’s Liberation Army
Troop Size: 430
Comment on Troop Size: The troop size number comes from an estimation of the EPLs size in mid-1980s
1987 Group Archive
Government of Colombia - EPL
Comment on Name: Ejército popular de liberación, People’s Liberation Army
Troop Size: 575
Secondary Support: In the late 1980s there was cooperation between the major guerrilla movements FARC, ELN, M-19, EPL, and some smaller groups. The group was called CGSB (Simón BolÃvar Coordinating Board, Coordinadora Guerrillera Simón BolÃvar). The group broke apart in the early 1990s after EPL, M-19 and some smaller groups signed agreements with the government and disarmed.
1988 Group Archive
Government of Colombia - EPL
Comment on Name: Ejército popular de liberación, People’s Liberation Army
Troop Size: 575
Secondary Support: In the late 1980s there was cooperation between the major guerrilla movements FARC, ELN, M-19, EPL, and some smaller groups. The group was called CGSB (Simón BolÃvar Coordinating Board, Coordinadora Guerrillera Simón BolÃvar). The group broke apart in the early 1990s after EPL, M-19 and some smaller groups signed agreements with the government and disarmed.
1989 Group Archive
Government of Colombia - EPL
Comment on Name: Peoples Liberation Army (Ejército Popular de Liberación)
The EPL is the armed wing of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party
Troop Size: 800
Secondary Support: In the late 1980s there was cooperation between the major guerrilla movements FARC, ELN, M-19, EPL, and some smaller groups. The group was called CGSB (Simón BolÃvar Coordinating Board, Coordinadora Guerrillera Simón BolÃvar). The group broke apart in the early 1990s after EPL, M-19 and some smaller groups signed agreements with the government and disarmed.
1990 Group Archive
Government of Colombia - EPL
Comment on Name: Ejército Popular de Liberación; National Liberation Army
The EPL is the armed wing of the Marxist-Leninist Communist
Troop Size: 800 - 1500
Secondary Support: In the late 1980s there was cooperation between the major guerrilla movements FARC, ELN, M-19, EPL, and some smaller groups. The group was called CGSB (Simón BolÃvar Coordinating Board, Coordinadora Guerrillera Simón BolÃvar). The group broke apart in the early 1990s after EPL, M-19 and some smaller groups signed agreements with the government and disarmed.
