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How Violence Between Colombian Rebel Groups Claims 60 Lives in Catatumbo

Published by Tope Fakinlede on January 20th, 2025.

How Violence Between Colombian Rebel Groups Claims 60 Lives in Catatumbo

Attacks by rival rebel factions in Colombia’s Catatumbo region have left at least 60 people dead, according to the country’s human rights office. The region, which borders Venezuela, has long been a battleground for control over the cocaine trade.

The latest wave of violence, attributed to the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), has disrupted a fragile truce between the two groups. While FARC had signed a peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2016, the ELN remains the country’s largest active insurgent group.

The Ombudsman’s Office, responsible for safeguarding human rights in Colombia, initially reported that 40 people had died in the recent clashes. It also highlighted the heightened risks faced by community leaders and their families, many of whom have been targeted for kidnapping or murder by the ELN. Among the victims were seven former FARC members who had signed the peace treaty, as well as Carmelo Guerrero, leader of the Association for Peasant Unity in Catatumbo (Asuncat).

The violence has also triggered food shortages and forced thousands of people from their homes, leaving vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and people with disabilities suffering the most. Local advocacy groups, like Asuncat, have raised alarms over missing board members who may have been abducted by armed factions.

The Colombian government, led by President Gustavo Petro, has condemned the violence, accusing the ELN of committing war crimes and displaying a lack of interest in peace talks. The government has deployed additional troops to the region in an attempt to restore order.

The ELN, for its part, has blamed FARC for starting the conflict, accusing them of killing civilians. FARC has yet to comment publicly on the allegations.