Colombian government officials say more than 80 people have been killed in northeastern Colombia as attempts to negotiate peace with the National Liberation Army have failed.
Another 20 people were injured, said William Villamizar, the governor of northern Santander state, where most of the killings occurred.
A report released late Saturday by the government ombudsman agency said the victims included community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who were seeking to sign a peace agreement.
Officials said at least three people participating in peace negotiations were kidnapped in several towns in the Catatumbo region near the Venezuelan border.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from the area, some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help in government evacuation centres.
Daniel Becerril/Reuters
Colombian troops on Sunday rescued dozens of people, including a family and their dog, whose owner had placed a pack of cold water on the animal’s chest to cool it down as it was evacuated by helicopter.
Defense Minister Iván Velázquez visited the northeastern town of Cúcuta on Sunday, where officials prepared to send 10 tons of food and hygiene kits to about 5,000 people in the Ocaña and Tiv communities, the majority of whom have fled violence. I was doing it.
“Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a street address on Saturday. “Boys, girls, young people, teenagers and entire families are showing up on foot, in trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, whatever means they can to avoid becoming victims of this conflict. ”
The attack comes after Colombia called off peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) on Friday, the second such attack in less than a year.
The Colombian government called on the ELN to cease all attacks and allow authorities to enter the area and provide humanitarian aid.
In Catatumbo, the ELN is clashing with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a guerrilla group that was disbanded after signing a peace deal with the Colombian government in 2016. The two sides are fighting over control of a strategic border area containing coca leaf plantations.
The ELN said in a statement on Saturday that it had warned former FARC members that “if they continue to attack the population… there will be no other way out than armed conflict.” The ELN blames former FARC rebels for several murders in the region, including the January 15 killing of a couple and a nine-month-old infant.
Army commander Gen. Luis Emilio Cardoso Santamaria said Saturday that authorities are strengthening the humanitarian corridor between Tibou and Cúcuta for the safe movement of people forced to flee their homes. . He said special urban units were also deployed in municipal capitals, where “there is risk and great fear”.
The ELN attempted five times to negotiate peace with the government of President Gustavo Petro, but negotiations broke down after violence. The ELN’s demands include recognition as a political opposition organization, which critics say comes with risks.
