Venezuelan Forces Strike ELN Camp in Apure, NGO Reports at Least Nine Dead

Venezuela's armed forces struck a camp of the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN) in Buena Vista del Meta, Apure state, on Friday, October 30, 2026, leaving at least nine people dead, according to the NGO Fundaredes.

Fundaredes director Javier Tarazona said a staff member counted the first nine bodies. The organisation shared video showing bodies on the ground, fallen trees and the ruins of a camp in a rural, forested area. Local reports suggested the total could reach 19, with some remains initially moved to San Fernando de Apure. The Venezuelan government had not responded to requests for comment by Saturday.

The attack is the first reported large-scale military action by Caracas against the ELN on Venezuelan soil. For two decades the group operated with relative freedom along the border under previous Venezuelan administrations. Fundaredes and human-rights advocate Rocío San Miguel described the strike as a clear break with that pattern.

Reports indicate the assault used drones, similar to other recent operations in the region. The timing coincides with a broader Colombian government operation along the shared border and with ongoing US involvement in Venezuelan security affairs following the January 2026 removal of Nicolás Maduro. Some accounts circulating among local sources claim US drones and helicopters have been present in support of coordinated actions against guerrilla and criminal groups.

The ELN remains the largest active Colombian guerrilla force after the bulk of the FARC demobilised in 2016. It has long used Venezuelan territory as a rear base, a charge repeatedly made by successive Colombian governments. The Apure camp sat near the border with Colombia's Vichada department.

No official Venezuelan casualty or operational statement has been released. The video and body counts come from Fundaredes, which has previously documented links between Venezuelan security forces and Colombian armed groups. Independent verification of the exact death toll and the precise weapons used remains limited as of Sunday.

The strike alters the long-standing sanctuary dynamic along the border. Whether it signals a sustained campaign or a single operation will depend on subsequent movements by Venezuelan units in Apure and Táchira and on the response from remaining ELN units. For now, the reported death toll and the location inside Venezuelan territory mark a documented change in the relationship between Caracas and the group it once tolerated.