SUMMARY

The conflict between FARC - EMC and ELN was over territorial control over drug-trafficking routes and took place mainly in the pacific province of Cauca and in the eastern province of Arauca bordering Venezuela. The violence can be traced back to the mid-2000s when ELN and FARC sporadically fought each other in Arauca and the neighbouring Venezuelan state Apure over the control of lucrative drug trafficking routes.

In 2022, ELN allied with the Segunda Marguetalia, another alliance of FARC fronts who continued the armed struggle with the Government of Colombia after the signing of the peace agreement, to fight FARC - EMC.

The non-state conflict between FARC - EMC and ELN was first included in UCDP data in 2022. In January of that year, fighting over territorial control took place in three different municipalities in Arauca resulting in more than 25 battle-related deaths.