Colombian Drug Gang Violence Claims 60 Lives in Latest Conflict

Er Mukesh Singh

The death toll from recent attacks by a rebel group in Colombia’s Catatumbo region has risen to 60, according to the country’s human rights office. Rival factions, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), have been vying for control of the lucrative cocaine trade in the region, which lies near the Venezuelan border.

The attacks involved the ELN, the largest remaining armed group in Colombia, and the FARC, which had signed a peace treaty with the government in 2016. The violence has shattered an uneasy truce between the two guerrilla groups, which had been engaged in peace negotiations with the government. The conflict has escalated tensions in the region, further destabilizing the already volatile area.

The Ombudsman’s Office, a government agency responsible for protecting citizens’ human and civil rights, initially reported 40 deaths from the recent violence in Colombia’s Catatumbo region. The death toll has since risen to 60, with many people, including community leaders and their families, facing the threat of kidnapping or murder by the National Liberation Army (ELN). In fact, 20 individuals, including half a dozen women, were recently abducted by armed groups.

Among the victims were seven signatories of the 2016 peace treaty, and Carmelo Guerrero, the leader of the Association for Peasant Unity in Catatumbo (Asuncat), a local advocacy group. The organization also reported that two of its board members, Roger Quintero and Freiman Velasquez, had gone missing and were feared to have been taken by armed groups.

The violence has led to severe shortages of food and basic supplies in some communities, with thousands of people displaced. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, pregnant women, and those with disabilities, are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

The Ombudsman’s Office has primarily blamed the ELN for the escalation of violence, especially after peace talks between the group and the Colombian government were suspended on Friday due to the ongoing conflict. President Gustavo Petro, who has made ending violence between armed groups a priority since taking office in 2022, condemned the ELN’s actions, calling them “war crimes” and accusing the group of showing no desire for peace.

The ELN, in turn, accused the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) of initiating the violence by killing civilians, although FARC has not yet responded publicly. In response to the violence, the Colombian army announced the deployment of additional troops to Catatumbo in an attempt to restore peace and security to the region.

Courtesy: BBC World News

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