Venezuelan Army Reportedly Bombs ELN Camp in Apure, Leaving at Least Nine Dead

The Meta River at Orocué, Colombia, in the plains region bordering Venezuela's Apure state (file photo). Photo: CarlosE Duarte, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Venezuela’s army reportedly bombed a camp of Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group in Apure state near the Colombian border, and at least nine people were killed, according to the human rights group Fundaredes, El Tiempo reported. Venezuelan authorities had not confirmed the operation in the reports reviewed.

Key figures: 9+ bodies taken to san fernando, per a fundaredes coordinator · 195 havana power circuits cut at the worst point oct. 31 · 1,600 additional mexican navy personnel sent to sinaloa

What rights monitors say happened

Juan Francisco García Escalona, a former lawmaker and Fundaredes coordinator in Apure, said at least nine bodies were taken to San Fernando for forensic work, with another 10 dead believed to remain at the site in the Buena Vista del Meta area and an unknown number of wounded moved into Colombia, El Tiempo reported. El Nacional, citing Fundaredes leaders, put the possible toll at 19, the newspaper reported.

Fundaredes shared with AFP a video showing several bodies on the ground, fallen trees and what appeared to be the ruins of a camp in a wooded rural area, and said the images were from Oct. 30, El Nacional reported. “A Fundaredes coordinator saw the first nine bodies,” said its director, Javier Tarazona, who called it “the first bombing by Venezuela against the ELN.” AFP said it could not immediately reach Venezuelan authorities.

Rocío San Miguel, a human rights defender and military affairs expert, said there was “a lot of fear in the area” because residents are under “enormous pressure” from the ELN, and she warned the remote community could be displaced. The area borders Colombia’s Vichada department.

Colombia’s government, meanwhile, formalized a cooperation agreement with the FBI and Europol to restore order at border crossings with Venezuela, focused on informal routes in La Guajira, Arauca and Norte de Santander, El Nacional reported, citing El Heraldo. Our Oct. 31 report on Venezuela and Havana’s blackouts has more background.

Havana’s blackouts deepen

Havana had 168 power circuits cut in the late afternoon of Oct. 31, according to figures from Cuba’s state electricity companies compiled by CiberCuba, the outlet reported. That was not the worst point of the day: in the early hours the capital reached 460 megawatts and 195 circuits affected, and at 9:32 a.m. it had 234 megawatts and 102 circuits out. Two circuits in the Regla municipality, R461 and R464, had each been out for 25 hours and 16 minutes.

The Antonio Guiteras plant in Matanzas, Cuba’s largest, went offline on Oct. 27, and an inspection found three simultaneous boiler faults, CiberCuba said. The state Unión Eléctrica reported 668 megawatts of limitations in thermoelectric generation on Oct. 31. CiberCuba noted that its figures repeat what state companies report and are not independently verified.

By the numbers

Havana’s circuit count fell from 195 in the early hours to 102 by mid-morning, then rose again to 168 by late afternoon, according to the state company data. The late-afternoon figure was about 14% below the early-morning peak, a TBR calculation.

President Donald Trump said in an interview with journalist Benny Johnson that Cuba’s government “is not going to last much longer,” adding, “Look, it’s a failed country,” 14ymedio reported. He said results on the island would come “within these two and a half years, even before that.” Comparing Cuba with Venezuela, Trump said: “We’re going to finish one and then maybe we’ll take a look at the other,” El Nacional reported. Both quotes are TBR translations from Spanish reports.

Mexico, Haiti and travel alerts

Mexico’s navy said it was sending about 1,600 more personnel to Sinaloa after a rise in homicides acknowledged by President Claudia Sheinbaum, with more patrols on highways, beaches and tourist areas, especially Mazatlán, El Nacional reported. The state has seen violence since September 2024 between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos, rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince warned U.S. citizens of ongoing security operations near the Tabarre bridge, where gunfire had been reported, and told them to avoid the area, according to its security alert. In Mexico, the U.S. Embassy said protesters were blocking the Tizimín–Río Lagartos Federal Highway 295 near kilometer 101.5 in Yucatán and that state officials advised avoiding Río Lagartos, San Felipe and Las Coloradas, according to a demonstration alert.

Watch for any statement from Venezuela’s military or the ELN, a confirmed toll from Apure, and whether the Guiteras plant returns to service. Today’s Russia-Ukraine report covers Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments in Atlanta on Russia.

Sources

• El Tiempo: Ejército de Venezuela habría bombardeado campamento del Eln en la frontera con Colombia: reportan al menos nueve muertos
• El Nacional: Reportaron presunto bombardeo del Ejército venezolano contra campamento del ELN en Apure
• El Nacional: Fundaredes confirma varios muertos en presunto bombardeo en Apure contra la guerrilla del ELN
• El Nacional: Colombia acordó cooperación con el FBI y Europol para reforzar seguridad en la frontera con Venezuela
• CiberCuba: La Habana reporta 168 circuitos afectados por apagones al cierre de la tarde del 31 de octubre
• 14ymedio: Trump ya no tiene tanta prisa para acabar con el régimen cubano: 'dos años y medio o menos'
• El Nacional: Trump: El gobierno de Cuba no va a durar mucho más
• El Nacional: México despliega 1.600 militares navales más en Sinaloa ante repunte de homicidios
• US Embassy in Haiti: Security Alert: U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti, October 31, 2026
• US Embassy and Consulates in Mexico: Demonstration Alert: Protest and Traffic Disruptions Near Rio Lagartos – October 31, 2026

Additional sources

• U.S. Department of War news releases