To supply the taldes, support groups maintained safe houses and zulos (small rooms concealed in forests, garrets or underground, used to store arms, explosives or, sometimes, kidnapped people the Basque word zulo literally means "hole"). The taldes were coordinated by the cúpula militar ("military cupola"). ĮTA's armed operations were organized in different taldes (groups or commandos), generally composed of three to five members, whose objective was to conduct attacks in a specific geographic zone. The eleven different substructures were: logistics, politics, international relations with fraternal organisations, military operations, reserves, prisoner support, expropriation, information, recruitment, negotiation, and treasury. There was another committee named Zuba-hits that functioned as an advisory committee. The leading committee comprised 7 to 11 individuals, and ETA's internal documentation referred to it as Zuba, an abbreviation of Zuzendaritza Batzordea (directorial committee). ETA intended to disperse its members and reduce the effects of detentions. The change was a response to captures, and possible infiltration, by the different law enforcement agencies. ETA divided the three substructures into a total of eleven. Reports from Spanish and French police point towards significant changes in ETA's structures in its later years. The group used to have a very hierarchical organization with a leading figure at the top, delegating into three substructures: the logistical, military and political sections. 10.1.3 Fictional films featuring ETA members and actionsĮTA members fire blanks during the Day of the Basque Soldier of 2006ĮTA changed its internal structure on several occasions, commonly for security reasons.10.1.2 Other fact-based films about ETA.3.4.2 2011 permanent ceasefire and cessation of armed activity.3.3.1 2006 ceasefire declaration and subsequent discontinuation.ĮTA's motto was Bietan jarrai ("Keep up on both"), referring to the two figures in its symbol, a snake (representing politics) wrapped around an axe (representing armed struggle). On, ETA made public a letter dated to 16 April 2018 according to which it had "completely dissolved all its structures and ended its political initiative". The group announced on 7 April 2017 that it had given up all its weapons and explosives. On 24 November 2012, it was reported that the group was ready to negotiate a "definitive end" to its operations and disband completely. On 5 September 2010, ETA declared a new ceasefire that remained in force, and on 20 October 2011, ETA announced a "definitive cessation of its armed activity".
There are more than 260 imprisoned former members of the group in Spain, France, and other countries. This convention was followed by a plurality of domestic and international media, which also referred to the group as terrorists.
ETA was classified as a terrorist group by Spain, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the European Union. ETA was the main group within the Basque National Liberation Movement and was the most important Basque participant in the Basque conflict.īetween 19, it killed 829 people (including 340 civilians) and injured thousands more. Its goal was gaining independence for the Basque Country. The group was founded in 1959 and later evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group engaged in a violent campaign of bombing, assassinations and kidnappings in the Southern Basque Country and throughout Spanish territory. ETA, an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna ("Basque Homeland and Liberty" or "Basque Country and Freedom" ), was an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization in the Basque Country (in northern Spain and southwestern France).