Colombia: 80 dead, over 18,000 flee homes amid violent clashes

In Colombia, at least 80 people have died, and over 18,000 have fled their homes due to violent clashes between rival armed groups near the Venezuelan border. The fighting in the northeastern Catatumbo region is some of the worst violence the country has seen in recent years. 

President Gustavo Petro issued a strong warning yesterday to leaders of the National Liberation Army (ELN), that is believed to be behind attacks in the area targeting rival groups. 

ELN armed group launched an assault on Thursday on a rival formation comprised of ex-members of the now-defunct Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla force who kept fighting after it disarmed in 2017. The ELN has



in recent days also clashed with the Gulf Clan, the largest drug cartel in the world’s biggest cocaine producer, leaving at least nine dead in a different part of northern Colombia. The latest violence prompted President Gustavo Petro on Friday to call off negotiations initiated with the ELN in his pursuit of ‘total peace’.

Over the weekend, frightened residents fled the region with their belongings, travelling on overloaded motorcycles, boats, or trucks. 

Colombia has endured more than 60 years of armed conflict, driven by drug trafficking and illegal mining. The violence has killed over 450,000 people and displaced millions.