Death toll in Colombia’s Catatumbo rises to 60, ombudsman says

President Gustavo Petro past week accused the ELN of committing a war crime successful the attacks, and suspended bid talks with the group.

The ELN, successful a connection connected Saturday, accused a faction of the FARC of having initiated the struggle by sidesplitting civilians and committing different aggressions.

The FARC faction did not publically respond to the allegation. On Friday it said it had begun withdrawing its units to forestall the unit from escalating.

The Catatumbo portion is considered strategical for cause trafficking due to the fact that of its proximity to Venezuela, from wherever amerciable equipped groups export cocaine, information sources person said.

Petro’s authorities since 2022 has pursued bid negotiations with leftist guerrillas and transgression gangs founded by erstwhile right-wing paramilitaries, successful a bid to extremity Colombia’s interior conflict.

Six decades of warring successful the Andean state has killed astatine slightest 450,000 people.

The ombudsman’s bureau warned that galore societal leaders and their families are astatine hazard of being kidnapped oregon killed for opposing the ELN.

It called connected the ELN and different equipped groups to let humanitarian assistance into the country and to “end each attacks against the civilian population.”