Updated 05:08 AM EDT, Tue, Mar 19, 2024

Twitter Shuts Down ELN's Account Due to Colombia Rebel Group's Increased Violent Attacks

  • +
  • -
  • Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE

Twitter has shut down the official account of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, Colombia's second largest leftist group.

Through their accounts, @ELN_Colombia and @ELN_Ranpal, the rebel group publicized political propaganda and updates on the preliminary peace talks with the Colombian government, according to Colombia Reports.

Last week, the ELN has promoted a 72-hour armed strike, which is a cessation of economic activity across the country. Acts of this nature are usually violent, which includes burning trucks or buses that refuse to participate with the strike, Colombia Reports noted.

The ELN also uses armed strikes to restrict the activities of vehicles and people, threatening to attack those who travel in highways in specific areas, EFE reported (via Fox News Latino). According to the rebel group, the armed strike marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Camilo Torres, a priest who was an ELN member and who died while fighting the Colombian army on Feb. 15, 1966.

Colombia Reports wrote that Twitter considered ELN's latest antics as a call to violence and as a violation of the social media platform's rules and regulations.

Twitter is not allowing users to "make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism," Colombia Reports added. The website also does "not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories," the news outlet further reported.

The ELN's website, which is hosted by a radically rebel service provider in Spain, is still up and running, Colombia Reports wrote. The leftist group doesn't have active accounts on Facebook.

Twitter did not take down the accounts used by the South American country's largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, the news outlet noted. The FARC has an ongoing peace talks with the Colombian government since 2012. The group is using Twitter to promote the peace talks, as well as a tool to publicize their demands to President Juan Manuel Santos' administration.

Last Saturday, the ELN blew up a transmission tower near Aguachica, a city in Cesar province. According to 5th Brigade commander Gen. Heider Giraldo, the attack left three cities without electricity, EFE reported.

Aside from Aguachica, the cities of Gamarra and Morales also had their electricity supply cut off due to the attack, EFE noted. Centrales Electricas power company manager Jose Miguel Gonzalez said that utility workers are collaborating with the army to restore power to the affected cities. Teams are also working in the field to repair the damage.

Santos said on Friday that ELN's armed strike was "a sign of weakness," adding that it would not help the peace talks, EFE added.

© 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
  • Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE
Close

Curiosidades

Real Time Analytics