Colombia Frees Two Elite Police Officers After Nearly One Year in ELN Captivity

Two Colombian police officers held captive by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group for nearly a year were released on Tuesday and handed over to a humanitarian mission, according to Colombia's state ombudsman office. Esley Hoyos Murcia and Yordin Fabián Pérez, officers from an elite police unit that cooperates with Interpol, had been kidnapped in July 2025 in Arauca state while investigating attacks against social leaders and human rights defenders near the Venezuelan border.

The officers' plight became increasingly dire when the ELN announced in May that it had "sentenced" them to remain in captivity, alongside two prosecutors—Jesús Antonio Pacheco Oviedo and Rodrigo Antonio López Estrada—who were abducted in May 2025. The guerrilla group accused the officers of espionage, judicial manipulation, and membership in a state organization allegedly responsible for crimes against humanity. These accusations were immediately rejected by the Colombian government and international humanitarian organizations. The ombudsman's office reiterated that no armed group has the authority to judge, condemn, or use kidnapping as leverage or punishment.

The government delegation leading peace talks with the ELN confirmed the officers' release and stated it continues working toward freeing the two prosecutors. The dialogue process itself had been suspended in January 2025 after the ELN's armed incursion into Catatumbo triggered widespread violence affecting civilians. The kidnapping of the police officers further strained peace negotiations.

The ELN, founded in 1964 under the influence of the Cuban Revolution and liberation theology, has attempted peace negotiations with the Colombian state five times without success. Notably, the group announced a unilateral ceasefire beginning June 20 and ending June 23 to avoid disrupting the second round of Colombia's presidential election, in which leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, a former ELN peace negotiator, faces conservative Abelardo de la Espriella, who opposes continuing peace talks with the guerrilla.