This territory was now theirs, and they wanted everyone to know it.
En la oscuridad de un lunes por la noche, el silencio de una pequeña comunidad rural de Santander fue interrumpido por disparos calculados y una declaración de dominio territorial. Hombres armados del ELN no ocultaron su identidad al intimidar a los habitantes de Las Montoyas, Puerto Parra, recordándonos que en los márgenes del Estado colombiano persiste una vieja disputa entre la autoridad legítima y la fuerza armada ilegal. Las instituciones respondieron con presencia y equipamiento, pero la pregunta que subyace es si la voluntad del Estado puede sostenerse con la misma firmeza con que el grupo armado proclamó su llegada.
- Hombres encapuchados del ELN dispararon al aire en Las Montoyas e identificaron abiertamente a su organización, convirtiendo el miedo en un instrumento de gobierno territorial.
- La comunidad, sacudida por la intimidación nocturna, reportó los hechos de inmediato, desencadenando una respuesta que llevó a fuerzas del Ejército y la Policía al lugar antes del amanecer.
- El secretario del Interior de Santander calificó el acto como terrorismo deliberado y reveló que las autoridades regionales ya escalaron el caso al Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, exigiendo intervención coordinada.
- El gobernador Juvenal Díaz advirtió que el 70 por ciento de la ciudadanía exige acción unificada, mientras el departamento distribuye vehículos policiales y cámaras de seguridad como señales visibles de presencia estatal.
- La actividad del ELN se intensifica también en el Magdalena Medio y la provincia de Guanentá, lo que sugiere un patrón de expansión territorial que desborda la capacidad de respuesta local.
Un lunes por la noche, pasadas las ocho y media, el caserío de Las Montoyas en Puerto Parra, Santander, fue escenario de una demostración de fuerza que sus habitantes no olvidarán fácilmente. Hombres armados y encapuchados dispararon al aire y, sin ambigüedad alguna, se identificaron como integrantes del ELN. No era violencia ciega: era un mensaje de dominación territorial dirigido a una comunidad rural que ahora debía entender quién mandaba en esa zona.
La respuesta institucional no tardó. Para las dos y media de la madrugada, unidades del Ejército Nacional y la Policía del Magdalena Medio ya patrullaban el área. Óscar Hernández, secretario del Interior de Santander, condenó el hecho y lo enmarcó dentro de una estrategia más amplia de terror rural. Confirmó que las autoridades regionales han solicitado formalmente la intervención del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional y que la coordinación interinstitucional está en marcha para frenar el avance del grupo.
El fenómeno no se limita a Las Montoyas. El Magdalena Medio y municipios de la provincia de Guanentá como Charalá y Coromoro registran una presencia creciente del ELN, bajo seguimiento de organismos de inteligencia. El gobernador Juvenal Díaz subrayó que la seguridad exige acción conjunta y no esfuerzos aislados, y citó medidas recientes como la entrega de 35 vehículos a la fuerza pública y la instalación de 21 cámaras en Bucaramanga como parte de una respuesta integral.
Lo que aún está por verse es si esa respuesta será suficiente para revertir los avances territoriales del ELN en el Santander rural. La audacia con que el grupo se identificó públicamente revela una confianza que el Estado deberá confrontar con presencia sostenida, coordinación real y voluntad política de largo aliento.
On a Monday evening around 8:30 p.m., the quiet of Las Montoyas—a small settlement in Puerto Parra, Santander—was shattered by gunfire. Armed men, their faces covered, fired shots into the air. They did not hide who they were. According to residents and officials, they identified themselves as members of the ELN, the National Liberation Army, one of Colombia's largest armed groups operating outside state control. The message was unmistakable: this territory was now theirs.
The shooting was not random violence. It was calculated intimidation. The men were announcing a claim of dominion over the area, pressing the community to understand that an illegal armed group had moved in and was taking charge. Residents reported what they had witnessed immediately, and within hours, units from the National Army and the Magdalena Medio police arrived to restore order and establish a visible state presence.
Óscar Hernández, the interior secretary for Santander department, condemned the incident without hesitation. He confirmed the timing—just after 8:30 p.m. on Monday—and noted that by 2:30 a.m., security forces were already on the ground providing accompaniment and surveillance. Hernández described the act as a deliberate campaign to sow terror and uncertainty in rural communities, part of a broader pattern of what he called terrorist activity. He emphasized that authorities would maintain their position in the area to prevent the group from consolidating control.
But Las Montoyas is not an isolated incident. The Magdalena Medio region and the Guanentá province—particularly in the municipalities of Charalá and Coromoro—have become zones of increasing ELN activity. Intelligence agencies are tracking these movements closely. Hernández revealed that regional authorities have already escalated their concerns to the national government, formally requesting intervention through the National Security Council. He stressed that inter-institutional coordination across multiple agencies is underway to counter the armed group's presence.
Governor Juvenal Díaz echoed the call for unified action. He acknowledged that security requires coordination among various authorities working in concert, not in isolation. Even as he spoke, the state was moving on multiple fronts: the previous week, 35 vehicles had been delivered to law enforcement in Santander; on the day of the incident, 21 security cameras were installed in the Balconcitos neighborhood of Bucaramanga to protect shopkeepers, business owners, and merchants. Díaz framed the challenge plainly—70 percent of Bucaramanga's population wants to see unified action, he said, and people want to see security and the presence of authority.
What remains unclear is whether these deployments and equipment distributions will be enough to reverse the ELN's territorial advances in rural Santander. For now, authorities are holding their ground in Las Montoyas, but the group's willingness to openly identify itself and fire weapons suggests confidence in its position. The question facing regional and national officials is whether the state can match that confidence with sustained, coordinated pressure.
Citações Notáveis
They made themselves known as the ELN, and we rejected this presence that generates acts of terrorism.— Óscar Hernández, interior secretary of Santander
We need unified action. Seventy percent of Bucaramanga wants to see unity, and people want to see security and the presence of authority.— Governor Juvenal Díaz
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would an armed group announce itself so openly? Wouldn't secrecy serve them better?
Because they're not trying to hide anymore. The announcement is the point. It tells the community, the local authorities, and the state all at once: we control this space now. It's psychological warfare dressed up as a show of force.
And the state response—sending troops and cameras—does that actually deter them?
It shows the state is paying attention, which matters. But the ELN has been operating in these regions for years. One night of gunfire and a police presence might restore order temporarily, but it doesn't address why the group has room to operate in the first place.
What do you mean by room?
Rural areas like Las Montoyas are far from the capital, hard to patrol consistently, and often economically marginal. The ELN fills a vacuum. They provide a kind of order, however brutal. Until the state offers something better—jobs, investment, consistent presence—the group will keep coming back.
So the governor's talk of unified action and security cameras—is that enough?
It's a start. But it's reactive, not preventive. They're responding to a threat that's already taken root. Real prevention would have happened years ago.
What happens if the ELN keeps pushing?
Then you see what's already happening in other parts of Colombia: displacement, extortion, recruitment of young people with no other options. The state has to decide whether it's willing to compete for control of these territories, or whether it's going to cede them.