Over 80 Killed in Colombia as Peace Talks with ELN Collapse
A surge of violence in northeastern Colombia has left more than 80 people dead in just three days, following failed attempts to negotiate peace with the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN), Al Jazeera reports.
The escalating conflict in the Catatumbo region has forced thousands to flee their homes, while the government scrambles to restore order.
The violence erupted last Thursday when the ELN launched a fierce assault on a rival group composed of ex-members of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who refused to disarm after the 2016 peace agreement. Civilians have been caught in the crossfire, leading to a mounting death toll. Governor William Villamizar of the Norte de Santander department confirmed the latest estimate, stating, “more than 80 people have lost their lives” since the fighting began. A previous count on Saturday had placed the death toll at 60.
Among the victims are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven individuals who had been seeking to join a peace process, according to a report from a government ombudsman agency. The fighting is centered in five municipalities of the mountainous cocaine-producing region near the border with Venezuela.
Thousands of residents are fleeing the area, some seeking refuge in the nearby mountains, while others are relying on government shelters for assistance. The Colombian army has deployed more than 5,000 troops to the region to “reinforce security” in response to the crisis. Army commander General Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaria announced that authorities were establishing a humanitarian corridor between Tibu and Cucuta to facilitate the safe passage of displaced civilians. He also noted the deployment of specialized urban soldiers to municipal capitals “where there are risks and a lot of fear.”
While the 2016 peace agreement led to the disarmament of the majority of FARC fighters, it failed to extinguish violence in some regions of the country. Leftist groups, including FARC holdouts, right-wing paramilitaries, and drug cartels continue to battle for control of resources and lucrative trafficking routes.
The ELN has accused the ex-FARC rebels of perpetrating numerous killings in the area, including the recent murder of a couple and their nine-month-old child on January 15. In a statement released on Saturday, the ELN claimed they had warned former FARC members that if they “continued attacking the population… there was no other way out than armed confrontation.”
The ELN has also been engaged in clashes with the Gulf Clan, the largest drug cartel in Colombia, leaving at least nine dead in a separate area of northern Colombia.
The intense violence has prompted President Gustavo Petro to suspend negotiations with the ELN, effectively ending his pursuit of “total peace” for the country.
