Guevarista Revolutionary Army

The Guevarista Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario Guevarista, ERG) was a revolutionary, guerrilla group operating in Colombia. It formed in 1992 as an offshoot of the ELN. [http://www.terrorismknowledgebase.com/Group.jsp?groupID=48] . It was named after and inspired by the Argentine Che Guevara.

Despite it being an offshoot of the ELN and employing tactics such as kidnapping, the ERG is not designated or watched as a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, Canada or Russia, only by the Government of Colombia.

The ERG's membership was 45 persons in the day of their surrender. It does not operate nationwide and is considerably smaller than the two main guerrilla groups in Colombia, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army. It was active in the Departments of Choco, Risaralda, and Antioquia.

On December 17, 2005, it carried out a joint attack on Colombian police forces in the village of San Marino, with the two larger groups which killed at least six police officers. The group is known to operate mostly in Chocó.

The ERG has engaged in kidnapping in the past. On February 9, 2007, a Colombian National Army captain held hostage for three years by the group was freed. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6345741.stm]

On August 21 2008 the group laid down their arms and ceased to exist. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7582292.stm]

References

*es icon [http://usuarios.lycos.es/cedema/Colombia/ERG/erg%20(2002%20octubre%2014).html Memo of the Guevarist Revolutionary Army posted online]
*es icon [http://www.presidencia.gov.co/planacio/cap1.htm Office of the President of Colombia; Brindar seguridad democrática]