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Updated 04:16 IST, January 20th 2025

Colombia Violence: 80 Killed In Northeast Region After Peace Talks Fail

In the northeast region of Colombia, over 80 people have been killed following failed peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Reported by: Digital Desk
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Colombia Violence: 80 Killed In Northeast Region After Peace Talks Fail
Colombia Violence: 80 Killed In Northeast Region After Peace Talks Fail | Image: AP

Bogota: In the northeast region of Colombia, over 80 people have been killed following failed peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN), a Colombian official confirmed. The violence, which also left 20 others injured, has caused widespread fear and displacement among local communities.

William Villamizar, the governor of North Santander, reported that many of the killings took place in the Catatumbo region, near the border with Venezuela. The victims include community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people involved in efforts to sign a peace agreement. Additionally, at least three individuals who were part of the peace talks were kidnapped.

The violent attacks have caused thousands of people to flee their homes, with some seeking refuge in nearby mountains or government shelters. Several residents are afraid of further violence and are desperately trying to escape the escalating situation.

In response to the crisis, Colombia's army carried out rescue missions, evacuating dozens of people, including a family and their pet dog. The family was airlifted by helicopter, with the dog’s owner keeping it cool by applying cold water to its chest during the evacuation.

Defence Minister Ivan Velasquez visited the town of Cucuta on Sunday to assess the situation. Officials are also preparing to send 10 tons of food and hygiene kits to help approximately 5,000 people in the affected communities of Ocana and Tibu, where many have been displaced by the violence.

The violence comes after failed attempts to negotiate peace between the government and the ELN, further complicating the situation in the region and heightening concerns about the safety and well-being of local residents.

“Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday. “Boys, girls, young people, teenagers, entire families are showing up with nothing, riding trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, whatever they can, on foot, to avoid being victims of this confrontation.” The attack comes after Colombia suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, on Friday, the second time it has done so in less than a year.

Colombia's government has demanded that the ELN cease all attacks and allow authorities to enter the region and provide humanitarian aid.

The ELN has been clashing in Catatumbo with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a guerrilla group that disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with Colombia's government. The two are fighting over control of a strategic border region that has coca leaf plantations.

In a statement on Saturday, the ELN said it had warned former FARC members that if they “continued attacking the population...there was no other way out than armed confrontation”.

The ELN has accused ex-FARC rebels of several killings in the area, including the January 15 slaying of a couple and their 9-month-old baby.

Army commander Gen. Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaría said Saturday that authorities were reinforcing a humanitarian corridor between Tibú and Cúcuta for the safe passage of those forced to flee their homes. He said special urban troops also were deployed to municipal capitals “where there are risks and a lot of fear”.

The ELN has tried to negotiate a peace deal with the administration of President Gustavo Petro five times, with talks failing after bouts of violence. ELN demands include that it be recognised as a political rebel organisation, which critics have said is risky.

Published 23:59 IST, January 19th 2025