Colombia’s ELN guerrilla group has ordered civilians living in areas under its control to stay at home for three days starting 6am on Sunday. The group made this move as it plans to carry out military exercises. It says this is a response to “intervention” threats from US President Donald Trump. Earlier this month, Trump said any country that produces cocaine and sells it to the United States was “subject to attack”. The ELN is the oldest guerrilla group in the Americas. It controls important drug-producing regions of Colombia. On Friday, the group pledged to fight for Colombia’s “defense” against Trump’s “threats of imperialist intervention”. The ELN warned, “It is necessary for civilians not to mix with fighters to avoid accidents,” and urged people to stay indoors for 72 hours starting Sunday. Tensions are heating up in the region. The US has increased pressure on Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro. This includes a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head and a large military buildup in the Caribbean. The US has also carried out airstrikes on alleged narco vessels, killing over 80 people. With about 5,800 fighters, the ELN operates in more than a fifth of Colombia’s over 1,100 municipalities, says Insight Crime research center. It also has a growing presence in Venezuela, active in 8 out of 24 Venezuelan states. The group has expanded its money, territory, and political influence there. The report adds, “The growth of the ELN and the survival of the Maduro regime are now connected. So long as Maduro remains in power, the favored position that the ELN enjoys in Venezuela seems likely to continue.” The ELN has tried and failed to reach peace agreements with Colombia’s last five governments. Talks with President Gustavo Petro’s government stopped two years ago when the rebels stepped up attacks. Although the ELN says it works for leftist and nationalist causes, it is deeply involved in the drug trade. It controls coca plantations and trafficking routes. It competes with dissident fighters from the FARC group who rejected a 2016 peace deal. Colombia is the world’s top cocaine producer, according to the United Nations.