Reported strike on ELN camp in Apure leaves border questions open

A reported military strike hit a camp of the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's oldest active guerrilla group, at dawn, Venezuelan time, on Friday 30 October. The camp lay in the Buena Vista del Meta area of Pedro Camejo municipality, in southwestern Apure state, opposite Colombia's Vichada department, according to the Venezuelan rights group Fundaredes and the AFP news agency. AFP reported at least 19 dead, citing Fundaredes and sources close to the operation. Venezuela's defence ministry and presidency had not confirmed or denied the strike by 2 November.

A Venezuelan military source, speaking anonymously to AFP, said drones and attack helicopters flew over the camp and dropped bombs. The source said the guerrillas "had no time to react". A senior Venezuelan officer, also anonymous, told AFP that Washington had helped. Neither claim has been independently verified, and no official statement had been issued by 2 November. What the strike says about the Venezuelan army's stance towards armed groups on the border remains an open matter.

What is known about the camp and the toll

AFP describes the site as a wooded, rural area away from settlements. Fundaredes shared a video with AFP that shows bodies on the ground, felled trees and the ruins of what appeared to be a campsite.

Fundaredes director Javier Tarazona said a coordinator saw the first nine bodies, and AFP's early reports spoke of at least nine dead. A later AFP dispatch, published on 1 and 2 November, reported at least 19. Juan Francisco García Escalona, the Fundaredes coordinator for Apure, told AFP that ten more bodies were taken to San Fernando de Apure, the state capital, the day after the attack. Accounts differ on where some of the bodies went. García also said an unknown number of wounded crossed into Colombia. That has not been confirmed.

A senior military source told AFP that most of the dead were Venezuelans, including a woman, and that two were Dominican nationals. None of the identities has been officially confirmed. Rocío San Miguel, who heads the NGO Control Ciudadano, said the toll could be higher than 19. She said residents had reported the dead as ELN members.

Unlock the Full Analysis:

Observers are reading: what the anonymous US claim, the doctrinal-change reading and Apure's 2022 history each establish, and what none of them can.

Become an Observer, it's free. Get full access to all Crisis.Zone analysis, briefings and breaking coverage.

Become an Observer, it's free

What to watch on the border

US forces captured Nicolás Maduro on 3 January. Delcy Rodríguez, his former deputy, leads an interim government that operates under US pressure. In Colombia, President Abelardo de la Espriella took office on 7 August and, according to AFP, launched an offensive against armed groups with US support. The border runs 2,219 km. The ELN and FARC dissident factions there profit from drug trafficking and illegal mining and fight each other, a pattern Crisis.Zone has reported from Guaviare.

The cost falls on border communities. In 2021, fighting in Apure between Venezuelan troops and FARC dissidents drove thousands of residents across the border into Colombia, according to Human Rights Watch. San Miguel warned of fear and possible forced displacement. She urged Caracas to protect civilians and reopen official channels with Colombia.

Whether Venezuela's stance is changing depends on facts not yet visible: official confirmation or denial, further operations, any ELN response and any US statement.