Regional guerilla units of the ELN and Segunda Marquetalia (SM) said they will unite forces in southwest Colombia.
In a video message sent to a regional television channel, an ELN spokesman announced a “unity and coordination agreement” with the Pacific Guerrilla Coordinate of Segunda Marquetalia in the Nariño province.
The national commanders of both guerrilla forces have also been negotiating peace with the government of President Gustavo Petro.
ELN and SM guerrillas
Formal talks with the ELN have been progressing slowly, but talks between the government and the group of former FARC commander “Ivan Marquez” appear frozen.
Regional units of the ELN and SM in the northwestern Arauca province joined forces to confront rival armed groups and the military in late 2021 already.
In Arauca, the guerrilla groups have mainly been fighting against the SM’s main rival, FARC dissident group EMC.
In Nariño, both groups have been vying for control over Colombia’s largest cocaine producing region with the EMC, paramilitary group AGC and a number of splinter organizations.
The turf wars have had a devastating effect on locals.
According to the United Nations’ humanitarian agency, more than 15,000 people from western Nariño were forcibly displaced or confined to their homes in 2023.