Manuel Pérez (guerrilla leader)

Manuel Pérez Martínez, also known as "El Cura Pérez" (The Priest Pérez), was a Spanish Catholic priest and guerrilla leader who led the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) in Colombia from 1973 until his death in 1998.

Pérez was born in Alfamén, Zaragoza, Spain, in 1943. He was ordained as a priest in 1968 and arrived in Colombia that same year, joining the community of priests involved in Liberation Theology. He became involved with the ELN, attracted by its focus on the needs of the poor and marginalized.

Following the death of Fabio Vásquez Castaño, Pérez assumed leadership of the ELN in 1973. Under his leadership, the ELN continued its armed struggle against the Colombian government, often resorting to tactics such as kidnapping, extortion, and attacks on infrastructure. While engaging in these activities, Pérez also attempted to provide a moral and ideological justification for the ELN's actions, framed within a context of social justice and opposition to economic inequality.

His role as a priest leading a guerrilla group was controversial, drawing criticism from both the Catholic Church and sectors of Colombian society. Despite this criticism, Pérez remained committed to the ELN's cause for over two decades.

Manuel Pérez Martínez died of hepatitis B on February 14, 1998, in the mountains of Santander department. After his death, Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista, alias "Gabino", became the commander of the ELN.