One month after his promotion to the rank of major general, Brigadier General Gerardo Ortiz Ramirezcommander of the Eighth Army Division, learned this week that The Government was contemplating calling him to rate servicesalong with the general Jorge Mario Aguirre Martínezcommander of the 18th Brigade. Behind these movements appears the public order situation in Araucawhere the ELN attacks, the incursions of armed men into population centers and the kidnapping of an Army officer ended up putting the operational results in that region under the spotlight.
Although the retirement of the two officers has yet to be formalized, the Army has already appointed Brigadier General William Fernando Caicedo Benavides as commander of the Eighth Division and, regarding the changes, the Minister of Defense, Jorge Moramaintained that the movements are due to “Periodic evaluations of officer performance”.
“There is a study and an evaluation that is done every three months of the work that not only the generals have been doing, but also the colonels, the majors, the lieutenant colonels,” said the minister, who simply explained that “No decision has been made so far. to remove a general.”
Brigadier General Gerardo Ortiz Ramírez. Photo:Courtesy
However, EL TIEMPO learned that the security situation in Arauca would have been one of the issues examined to make the decision.
Sources consulted in the region maintain that The ELN “retains control” of rural corridorsmaintains the capacity to impose restrictions on the population and uses the border with Venezuela to mobilize its members. This presence has been manifested in recent months through actions against the Public Force and armed demonstrations in municipalities such as Tame, Saravena, Fortul and Arauquita.
One of the episodes occurred last July 14in Betoyes, the town center of Tame, where The ELN attacked the police station with explosives. That action left two uniformed officers and a woman deadin addition to several injuries, and forced the police who remained at the scene to withdraw. Two months later, guerrillas returned to the village with yellow machinery and demolished the remains of the facilities. The images of armed men walking the streets while they finished destroying the station reopened questions about the State’s capacity to maintain an institutional presence in that sector.
Maria Camila Pantoja Photo:Maria Camila Pantoja
Another event, which would have precipitated the departure of Ortiz Ramírez and Aguirre Martínez, was the kidnapping of second lieutenant María Camila Pantoja Hernándezhappened in the past November 4in the urban area of Saravena. The officer was intercepted by armed men and, later, the ELN Eastern War Frontwith more than 2,000 members in that area, He admitted that he had it in his possession. and warned about the consequences of a possible rescue operation. Even in a proof of life, the uniformed officer asked the president and the Ministry of Defense that his release be managed through humanitarian means.
Sources consulted by EL TIEMPO indicated that the captivity of the uniformed could be being used by the guerrilla to try to limit operations against their camps, given the risk that the officer will be affected during a military intervention. “It is life insurance for them, because not knowing exactly where it is, no one is going to dare to launch an operation”explained one of the sources.
An armored vehicle patrols a road in Tame, Arauca. Photo:Courtesy
The indicators
Homicidal violence in Arauca left 885 victims between 2022 and September 2026according to figures from the Ministry of Defense. The most critical year was 2022, when 356 homicidesfollowed by 2024 with 178, 2023 with 153 and 2025 with 119. In the first nine months of 2026, 79 murders. In the municipality of Arauca, capital of the department, 138 homicides were recorded during the period analyzed, of which 47 occurred in 2022, 41 in 2023, 30 in 2024, 14 in 2025 and six between January and September 2026.
The territorial distribution of homicides reveals that Tame, Saravena and Arauquita concentrate 70.5 percent of the victims registered in the department during the last five years. Tame tops the list with 263 murdersfollowed by Saravena with 197 and Arauquita with 164.
Now, of the 885 homicides recorded in the department, 789 were classified under the alleged category of attacks perpetrated by the ELN and the dissidents that commit crimes in that department, equivalent to 89.2 percent of the total. This proportion reflects the weight that actions attributed to illegal armed structures have in homicides in the region.
The figures also show the dimension of the kidnapping in Arauca. Between January 2017 and August 2026 170 cases were recordedof which 131 were classified as simple and 39 as extortionistsaccording to the records analyzed by EL TIEMPO.
The ELN has a historical presence in that department. Photo:Social Networks / Colombian Army
Adding to the security situation is a bombing recorded approximately two weeks ago in the vicinity of the border region with Venezuela. According to sources consulted by this newspaper, the operation would have provoked movements of members of the ELN and modifications in their movements through corridors used by the guerrillas between both countries.
“The issue of the bombing and the seizure of a shipment of coltan they unleashed the anger of the guerrillas; what they did with the kidnapping of the uniformed woman It was retaliation for them too.“said a source.
Another concern is related to the use of the border for transit of members of the ELN. The testimonies describe movements between Arauca and the Venezuelan state of Apure through land passes and river corridors that make it difficult for authorities to follow.
Tame, Arauca. Photo:Google Maps
Army results
The succession of attacks contrasts with the operational balances of the military units deployed in the department. Figures known to EL TIEMPO indicate that The Army registers 63 damages against members of armed groups, of which 52 correspond to the ELN and 11 to residual structures. In the case of elenos, 42 catchesfour voluntary presentations and six deaths in the course of military operations. Added to this are 13 combats and the recovery of 10 minors linked to the guerrilla.
The results also include the seizure of 21 long weapons28 short weapons and 7,560 ammunition. Regarding explosives, Troops report the neutralization of 89 devices and 12 antipersonnel mines, in addition to the destruction of 199 kilograms of explosives.
These indicators reflect the operations carried out by the troops, but do not allow us to establish what proportion of the territory remains under the control of the Public Force. Despite the captures, combats and seizures, the ELN retains the capacity to carry out attacksinstall explosives and mobilize armed men in sectors where they had previously acted against police facilities.
READ ALSO
The sources consulted state that the organization also maintains surveillance mechanisms over the populationregulates travel in rural areas and puts pressure on economic activities.
The Ombudsman’s Office had warned about these risks in October 2025when issued Early Warning 014-25 for Arauca and Cubará, Boyacá, in which he pointed out the threats derived from the confrontation between the ELN and the FARC dissidents.
The organism reiterated its warnings on November 5after the kidnapping of Second Lieutenant Pantoja, and requested to implement measures to prevent violations of human rights.
Justice Editorial
Justicia@eltiempo.com
