The Colombian National Police confirmed on Wednesday the capture of Carlos Alberto Ramirez, alias ‘El Viejo’, one of the top commanders of the National Liberation Army (ELN), after he was reported dead last year.
Ramirez, with 35 years of militancy in the guerrilla, is considered the political chief of the front and is said to be responsible for murders and mass forced displacements in the area of influence of the Manuel Hernandez ‘El Boche’ front, of which he would be the third commander, as reported by the newspaper ‘El Colombiano’.
This zone of influence would cover the Colombian departments of Chocó and Risaralda, where the recently arrested ELN member would have articulated «high-impact terrorist actions against the civilian population, the security forces and the economic sector».
«This leader had a criminal record of 35 years within the structure. His political and armed training and his ability to mobilize the masses made him one of the most important leaders of the ELN’s Western War Front,» said the country’s authorities.
‘El Viejo’ was considered to have been killed in a military operation in October 2021, as detailed by ‘El Tiempo’. The then Minister of Defense, Diego Molano Aponte, stated that in less than two months the Executive had struck a «forceful» blow against the ELN’s Western War Bloc.
However, according to official information, the ELN member has been arrested in Medellin after the work of Colombian Army troops who, with the help of intelligence work, were able to «locate and neutralize» Ramirez.
