More than 80 people were killed in the northeastern part of the country over the weekend following failed attempts by the government to hold peace talks with National Liberation Armyone Colombian official said.
Twenty others were injured in the violence that sent thousands fleeing as the Colombian army pressed for evacuations on Sunday, according to William Villamizar, the governor of North Santander, where most of the killings took place. there.
Among the victims is community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who wanted to sign the peace agreement, according to the report that the government's ombudsman organization released the following Saturday.
Officials say the attacks took place in several towns in the Catatumbo region near the border and Venezuelaat least three people who were part of the peace talks are being kidnapped.
People displaced by violence in towns across the Catatumbo region, where rebels from the National Liberation Army, or ELN, have been clashing with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, are stand in line to register for accommodation at the stadium in Cúcuta, Colombia. Sunday, January 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Thousands of people are fleeing the area, some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help from government security facilities.
Juan Gutiérrez, who fled with his family to a temporary shelter in Tibú, after they were forced to leave their animals and belongings behind, said: “We were caught in the chaos.” “We didn't have time to hold our things. … I hope the government will remember us. … We are useless here.”
The Colombian military rescued many people on Sunday, including a family and their pet dog, whose owner held a pack of cold water to the animal's chest to keep it cool as they made their way out. a helicopter.
Defense Minister Ivan Velásquez he traveled to the northeastern city of Cúcuta on Sunday where he held several security meetings and urged armed groups to withdraw.
“The most important thing is to save lives and ensure public safety,” he said. “We have deployed our forces all over the place.”
Authorities are also preparing to send 10 tons of food and hygiene supplies for about 5,000 people in the towns of Ocaña and Tibú, most of whom have fled the violence.
“Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday. “Boys, girls, young people, young people, whole families come out with nothing, on trucks, garbage trucks, motorcycles, whatever they can, on foot, to avoid being victims of this war. “
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.
The Colombian government has demanded that the ELN stop all attacks and allow authorities to enter the area and provide humanitarian aid.
“Emigration is killing us in this area,” said José Trinidad, a municipal official in the town of Convención, in the northern Santander region. “We fear that the crisis will get worse.”
Trinidad called on the rebel groups to sit down and create a new agreement so that “we the citizens do not suffer the consequences that we are experiencing now.”
The ELN has clashed in Catatumbo with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a terrorist group that disbanded after signing a 2016 peace deal with the Colombian government. The two are fighting for control of a strategic border area with coca plantations.
In a statement on Saturday, the ELN said it had warned former FARC members that if they “continue to attack civilians … there is no other way out except armed conflict.” The ELN has blamed former FARC rebels for several killings in the area, including the Jan. 15 of a couple and their 9-month-old baby.
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Army commander Gen. Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaría said Saturday that the authorities are strengthening the relief route between Tibú and Cúcuta for the safe passage of those forced to flee their homes. He said that special urban troops are also being deployed to urban areas “where there is a lot of danger and fear.”
The ELN has tried to negotiate a peace deal with President Gustavo Petro's administration five times, and talks have failed in the aftermath of the violence. The ELN's demands include being recognized as a rebel political organization, which critics say is dangerous.