Bolivian Campaign
The Ñancahuazú Guerrilla or Ejército de Liberación Nacional de Bolivia (National Liberation Army of Bolivia; ELN) was a group of mainly Bolivian and Cuban guerrillas led by the guerrilla leader Che Guevara which was active in the Cordillera Province of Bolivia from 1966 to 1967. The group established its base camp on a farm across the Ñancahuazú River, a seasonal tributary of the Rio Grande, 250 kilometers southwest of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The guerrillas intended to work as a foco, a point of armed resistance to be used as a first step to overthrow the Bolivian government and create a socialist state. The guerrillas defeated several Bolivian patrols before they were beaten and Guevara was captured and executed. Only five guerrillas managed to survive, including Harry Villegas, and fled to Chile.
Bolivian Campaign | |||||||
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Part of the Cold War | |||||||
Che Guevara in Bolivia in 1967. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
ELN Cuba |
Bolivia United States Supported by: Brazil | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Che Guevara Tania Bunke † Harry Villegas Fidel Castro |
René Barrientos Hugo Banzer Félix Rodríguez Ralph Shelton Castelo Branco | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
29 Bolivians 25 Cubans 3 Peruvians 1 Argentine-Cuban (Che) 1 Argentine-German (Tania) |
600 Bolivian Rangers 24 Americans | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Main Phase: 55 killed or captured Dissident Insurgency Phase: 11+ killed |
Main Phase: Unknown Dissident Insurgency Phase: 9+ killed, 4+ injured | ||||||
20+ civilians killed, 72+ injured (San Juan massacre) |