Over 80 killed in Colombia as ceasefire between rebel groups collapses
2 Min Read
More than 80 people were killed and thousands displaced in northeastern Colombia as a conflict erupted between the ELN and FARC rebel groups.
-
Civil Defense members help a child as displaced people from recent clashes between armed groups take shelter at the General Santander Stadium in Cucuta, Norte de Santander Department, Colombia, on January 19, 2025. (AFP)
Governor William Villamizar of Colombia's North Santander, the region most affected by the recent violence between rebel groups, reported on Monday that at least 80 people lost their lives as a conflict erupted between the ELN and FARC rebel groups over the weekend in northeast Colombia.
Thousands were displaced as a result of the violence.
The National Liberation Army (ELN) launched an assault on the Catatumbo region last Thursday against former combatants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who have continued their resistance to disarmament following the 2016 peace agreement.
Community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven others, who were attempting to negotiate a peace deal, are among the victims. Additionally, three other individuals involved in the peace talks have been kidnapped.
Civilians were caught in the crossfire. Terrified residents, with backpacks and belongings loaded onto overloaded motorcycles and boats, fled the region over the weekend, according to the governor.
Official estimates indicate that thousands have fled the area, with many taking refuge in the nearby dense mountains or seeking assistance at government shelters in nearby cities.
Venezuela supporting displaced civilians
An unknown number of individuals have also crossed the border into neighboring Venezuela, seeking shelter there.
Venezuela announced carrying out "a special operation to support the displaced civilian population from Colombia."
The civil conflict in Colombia has resulted in approximately 220,000 deaths, 25,000 people missing, and 5.7 million displaced over the past fifty years. It officially began in 1964 with the formation of two separate guerrilla groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The FARC was comprised of militant communists and peasant self-defense groups, whereas the ELN's ranks were primarily made up of students, Catholic radicals, and left-wing intellectuals aspiring to replicate Fidel Castro's revolution.
Both opposed the privatization of natural resources and asserted that they represented the rural poor against Colombia's wealthy elite.
