The ELN guerrillas survived the heavy combats of the Colombian Army's Operation Anorí (1973-74), and then reconstituted their forces, with partial assistance from the Colombian Government of President Alfonso López Michelsen (1974-78), who allowed the ELN to break from and escape encirclement by the Colombian National Army.
The ELN did not participate in the peace negotiations conducted between the Colombian government of President Andrés Pastrana Arango (1998-2002) and the FARC, yet did participate in an exploratory conference about possibly participating in peace negotiations.