After Trump Call, Colombia’s Petro Turns Up Heat on Far-Left Armed Group

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 6 min read 100% complete by Annie Correal, Genevieve Glatsky and Max BearakJanuary 16, 2026 at 11:01 AM

AI Summary

long article 6 min

Following a call from President Trump, Colombian President Gustavo Petro is increasing pressure on the National Liberation Army (ELN), a far-left group accused of drug trafficking. Petro threatened joint military action with Venezuela if the ELN doesn't join the peace process and leave Venezuela. This shift reflects pressure on Latin American leaders to target groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S., potentially facing unilateral action if they don't comply. The Trump administration considers itself in armed conflict with designated drug cartels, including the ELN, despite the ELN's denial of drug trafficking and presence in Venezuela. The ELN, originally a Catholic-Marxist group, is believed by experts to have turned to cocaine trafficking in the 1990s.

Keywords

national liberation army 90% eln 90% colombia 90% drug trafficking 80% gustavo petro 80% venezuela 70% peace process 70% trump 60% military action 60% terrorist organizations 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source
New York Times - World
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.30)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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