Publish dateMonday 20 January 2025 - 10:42
Story Code : 305175
80 killed in armed clashes in Colombia
At least 80 people have been killed in armed clashes in the northeastern region of Colombia.
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez announced that guerrillas from the National Liberation Army (ELN) have targeted local leaders and former members of other rebel groups in the Catatumbo region of northeastern Colombia, which according to local officials has left 80 dead so far.

According to a Reuters report, the violence, which has been the bloodiest in recent years, last week led Colombian President Gustavo Petro to accuse the ELN of committing war crimes and suspend peace talks with the group.

Ivan Velasquez, from the eastern Colombian city of Cucuta, said the ELN had launched an offensive against former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who had given up fighting under the 2016 peace deal, their families and some local leaders.

Colombian rebel groups have historically fought the government, right-wing paramilitary organizations and each other for control of territory and illegal sources of income such as drug trafficking. Armed groups also often attack citizens who oppose their activities.

Vázquez said that 8,000 people had been displaced as a result of the armed conflict, and although he put the number of victims at 60, the Norte de Santander command and the human rights prosecutor’s office put the figure at 80.

In a statement released on Sunday, the ELN said that former FARC rebels had rearmed and that the victims were not civilians.
https://avapress.com/vdca0mnem49nw61.tgk4.html
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