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Glite Dictionary
🇧🇴 Bolivian guerrilla group 🇨🇴 Colombian rebel group
National Liberation Army

National Liberation Army

8.2
A guerrilla group in Colombia that kidnaps people and uses armed attacks
  • proper noun
  • NSFW
translation icon : Ejército de Liberación Nacional
  • The Colombian government continues to negotiate with the National Liberation Army in hopes of ending decades of conflict.

Examples

  • Several foreign oil workers were kidnapped by the National Liberation Army in the region last year.

  • After the peace deal with FARC, attention shifted to the activities of the National Liberation Army.

  • The National Liberation Army was founded in 1963.

  • Many people fear the National Liberation Army due to its violent tactics.

  • In 2019, the National Liberation Army claimed responsibility for several attacks on infrastructure in Colombia.

  • The Colombian army launched operations against the National Liberation Army to reduce their influence in the region.

  • Discussions regarding peace talks with the National Liberation Army have resumed amid hopes for a ceasefire.

Synonyms

ELN
vsNational Liberation Army
1 9.9

An armed left-wing group that fights the government in Colombia

is a specific Colombian group founded in 1963 linked to kidnappings and drug trade

Surface Forms

National Liberation Army main

Morphology

national + liberation + army

The compound meaning — an armed force organized to achieve national liberation — is directly and predictably derived from 'national' (relating to the nation) + 'liberation' (freedom) + 'army' (armed forces). While a learner may not know this is the name of a specific Colombian Marxist group, the semantic composition is clear and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the general meaning.

Etymology

National Liberation Army used in Colombia was chosen to show the group's aim: National means 'the nation', Liberation means 'freedom', and Army means a fighting force. Picture small bands of fighters in the countryside trying to change the government, and you see why the name refers to an 'armed rebel group'.