National Liberation Army (Colombia) -- Founding Group

Little is know about the Guevarist Revolutionary Army (ERG) other than its origins, its size, and its geographic location. The Guevarist Revolutionary Army (ERG) is a faction of the National Liberation Army (ELN) that broke away from ELN control in 1993.  Both the ELN and the ERG are part of the leftist insurgency currently underway in Colombia.  While most surveys of terrorist activity in Colombia focus on the large organizations, there are in fact numerous smaller groups operating in Colombia.                                                     <p><p>The Guevarist Revolutionary Army was originally a part of the pro-Cuban ELN.  The ELN, one of the oldest terrorist groups operating in Colombia today, found its inspiration in the Cuban Revolution of 1959.  The ELN and like-minded groups have demonstrated extraordinary longevity, waging a 40 year campaign of terror against everything from government personnel to civilians to rival terrorist groups.  While these leftist groups have withstood government efforts to wipe them out, they have also proved incapable of starting the socialist revolution for which they are theoretically fighting.  The only real accomplishment of the ELN and its peers has been to plague Colombia with death and destruction for over four decades.

The Guevarist Revolutionary Army is known to operate in the Departments of Choco, Risralda, and Antioquia. The group continues to strike against the democratic institutions in Colombia.  In December of 2002, the ERG kidnapped a former governor of Choco, Colombia.  In July of 2000, the group kidnapped a French citizen who was in Colombia assisting the humanitarian group, "Doctors without Borders."  The ERG claimed, puzzlingly, that the kidnapping was in protest against human rights violations in Colombia.

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) -- Rival and Ally

Harakat al-Muqawammah al-Islammiyya, Islamic Resistance Movement

Iran (state-sponsored); Donations (especially through Islamic charities); Remittances from Arab expatriates; Commercial enterprises (sewing and weaving centers and cattle farms)