Colombia's peace process stalled by ELN rebels

Colombia's second-largest rebel group, the ELN is on hold after it refused to release a captive former congressman until the Colombian government releases two imprisoned guerrillas.

President Juan Manuel Santos's government had been due to open peace talks with the ELN on Oct. 27. But he called them off when the rebels failed to release ex-congressman Odin Sanchez, which he had set as a pre-condition.

Potentially complicating matters further, some sources say the ELN is still holding at least two other hostages: a doctor named Edgar Torres and a businessman named Octavio Figueroa.

Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last month, has faced a series of recent setbacks in his efforts to bring "total peace" to Colombia after a 52-year conflict.

Voters rejected a peace deal with the country's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in an Oct. 2 referendum after opponents jeered it as too soft on the guerrillas. The peace talks with the ELN are on hold over the hostage issue.

Both the FARC and ELN have used ransom kidnappings and drug trafficking to finance themselves over the years. The FARC is the oldest and largest group among Colombia's left-wing rebels and is one of the world's richest guerrilla armies. The group was founded in 1964, when it declared its intention to overthrow the government and install a Marxist regime. According to the Colombian security forces, there are around 7,000 active militants within the guerilla group. It is estimated that more than 8,500 civilians have given support to the group. However, the number went down gradually, as the number of active militants in 2002 was 20,000. The group was accused by human rights group of forcibly recruiting women and children especially under the age of 15. The war in Colombia killed about 220,000 people and was marked by kidnappings, massacres and rapes that prompted five million Colombians to flee their homes.