The Colombian guerrilla group ELN ordered civilians in regions under its control to confine themselves for 72 hours starting Sunday while it conducts military exercises to respond to the “threats of intervention” from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The president has warned that he does not rule out attacking Colombian soil to curb drug trafficking, amid tensions over the military offensive that Washington is carrying out in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

ELN accuses the US of wanting to plunder Colombia's resources

The oldest guerrilla group in the Americas, which controls key drug-producing regions, warned in a statement that it will fight for the “defense” of Colombia, the world's largest cocaine producer, according to the UN.

“It is necessary that civilians not mix with the military to avoid accidents,” it says in a statement released on rebel propaganda networks, in which it asks communities not to travel on roads or rivers.

The Marxist guerrilla group accuses Trump of having a “neocolonial plan” with which he “intends to intensify the plundering” of Colombia's “natural resources.”

Extensive territorial control and expansion

The ELN held negotiations peace talks with the government of Gustavo Petro were scheduled for two years, but ended in January due to persistent attacks by the rebels. The criminal group has a presence in more than 20% of Colombia's over 1,100 municipalities, according to the crime research center Insight Crime. One of its strongholds is the Catatumbo region, one of the areas with the most coca cultivation in the world, where it controls cocaine production. Furthermore, several studies highlight the presence of this far-left guerrilla group in Venezuela, where it is believed to operate in alliance with the military forces of Nicolas Maduro's regime.