Colombia, the United States, and Venezuela are reportedly finalizing preparations for an unprecedented military operation targeting the National Liberation Army (ELN) in areas of Venezuelan territory near the border with Colombia, where this Colombian illegal armed group has operated for decades.
According to intelligence sources cited by the local magazine Semana, the plan combines advanced surveillance, information-sharing among agencies, and logistical movements that, if carried out, would transform the fight against the guerrilla group into a trilateral undertaking with profound strategic implications for regional security.
The decision emerges amid growing pressure on the ELN, whose presence in border areas and drug-trafficking routes was for years at the center of complaints about the alleged collusion of Nicolas Maduro’s regime with this criminal organization.
Camps identified by international intelligence, divided into small cells to avoid detection, would be the primary targets of an intervention that, for now, remains in the planning phase. This operation, beyond its military dimension and if confirmed, would reflect an evident political shift in the relationship among the three governments involved.
In addition, media outlets highlight that “in each of those camps there are only commissions, very small ELN structures; they do it for security to avoid being detected,” an intelligence source with knowledge of the situation in both countries told Semana.
Colombia, US and Venezuela reportedly plan joint operation against ELN
For decades, the ELN’s presence on the Venezuelan side of the border has been a thorny issue in relations between Colombia and Venezuela. Now, the emerging alliance implies a level of coordination that breaks with years of mutual distrust and raises the prospect of a reassessment of geopolitical priorities in the region.
In intelligence documents consulted by local outlets such as the newspaper El País and the magazine Semana, U.S. authorities are said to have precisely identified the locations of camps and drug-trafficking-related enclaves, fueling the urgency for joint action.
According to these sources, Caracas’ change in posture—which would include authorizations at the highest level to allow operations on its territory—constitutes a reversal from previous positions of the Venezuelan government, which has traditionally rejected any foreign military intervention.
The recent capture of former President Maduro by U.S. special forces would have contributed to destabilizing the situation and facilitating this new scenario of military cooperation. Moreover, despite a recent denial by the U.S. justice system regarding the existence of the so-called Cartel of the Suns as a drug-trafficking organization, relations between Nicolas Maduro’s government and Colombian guerrillas remain on the table.
Documents cited by the Colombian magazine note that the ELN’s displacement “to other areas has been limited by pressure from the same Venezuelan authorities that are now cooperating with the United States and that there is also cooperation with Colombia’s Armed Forces,” confirming an evident change in Venezuela’s attitude.
Designing the operation: intelligence and preparation
The operational design phase relies crucially on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Monitoring technologies, communications intercepts, and ground and aerial reconnaissance activities seek to anticipate guerrilla movements and reduce risks for allied forces. The stated objective is to gradually neutralize the ELN’s operational capacity on Venezuelan soil, where its presence has traditionally been less monitored and more difficult for Colombian forces to counter on their own.
At the same time, contingents of troops in Colombia are reportedly being prepared to act as a containment force and provide logistical support from the border side. A senior officer consulted by Semana mentioned that more than 30,000 soldiers could be deployed to prevent regrouping or movements of fighters into Colombia’s interior once operations begin. This binational strategy seeks to close escape routes and maintain pressure on structures that, though fragmented, continue to pose a significant threat in the region.
This potential military operation carries implications that go beyond the tactical realm. Military cooperation among the United States, Venezuela, and Colombia raises questions about sovereignty, legitimacy, and the role of external actors in conflicts traditionally considered internal matters for each country. For the United States, the ELN ranks among the organizations that most contribute to illicit drug trafficking and regional violence, reinforcing its interest in a more active leadership role in international coordination.
For Colombia, combating the guerrilla remains a national security priority, although the government’s strategy differs from more confrontational approaches of the past. Colombia faces the challenge of balancing cooperation with the United States and Venezuela without dramatically altering its foreign policy or its approach to internal dialogue. In Venezuela, current cooperation could be interpreted as a tactical shift in response to internal and external pressures, in the face of a guerrilla group that has capitalized on border areas to expand its influence.
The ELN between a rock and a hard place
While governments discuss operational details, the ELN faces an increasingly difficult scenario, following a 2025 marked by yet another failure of talks between the Colombian state and this armed organization that has operated in the country since the mid-1960s.
Joint pressure from three countries could constrain its room for maneuver and further fracture its structures, which could eventually force the organization to return to the path of dialogue in the final stretch of President Petro’s government in Colombia. Nevertheless, there is also the risk that a military offensive could trigger mass civilian displacement, reconfigurations of alliances with other armed groups, or even a broader cross-border escalation.
Analysts warn that any operation of this magnitude must carefully consider humanitarian and diplomatic consequences, as well as the mechanisms needed to protect affected populations.
The eventual materialization of this operation would represent a shift in regional security policies in a space—the vast jungle border between Colombia and Venezuela—with a significant presence of criminal groups engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining, causing deforestation and civilian displacement in places where the presence of the state has historically been minimal.
Tripartite cooperation against the ELN not only challenges historical paradigms of relations among the three countries but also redefines the boundaries of the fight against insurgent armed groups in a region marked by decades of conflict and geopolitical complexities.