Colombia: Rebel violence kills 60 in Catatumbo

The Office of the Ombudsman, a government agency that oversees the protection of citizens’ human and civil rights, previously reported that 40 died in the violence.

It said many people, including community leaders and their families, faced a “particular risk” of being abducted or killed by the ELN. It stated that 20 people had been kidnapped recently, half of them women.

The office said that among the dead were seven signatories of the peace agreement and Carmelo Guerrero, leader of the Farmers’ Union Association in Catatumbo (Asuncat), a local advocacy group.

Asuncat wrote on social media on Friday that Roger Quintero and Freiman Velasquez, members of the board of directors, have not been seen since the previous day, and that it is suspected that armed groups have taken them.

“In several communities in the region, food shortages are beginning to be reported, affecting local communities,” the Ombudsman’s Office wrote in a statement on Saturday, adding that thousands of people are believed to have been displaced by the violence.

“Elderly people, children, teenagers, pregnant women and people with disabilities suffer the consequences of this incident.”

“Catatumbo is once again stained with blood,” the Association of Catatumbo Mothers for Peace wrote on Friday.

“The bullets exchanged not only hurt those who hold weapons, but also tear the dreams of our community, break the family and sow terror in the hears of our children.”

The Ombudsman’s office appears to blame the latest violence on the ELN, which had been in peace talks with the Colombian government until they were suspended on Friday due to the violence in Catatumbo.

President Gustavo Petro – who since his election in 2022 has sought to end the violence between armed groups in the country – accused the ELN of “war crimes” and said the group “shows no desire to make peace”.

The ELN accused the Farc of having initiated the conflict by killing civilians in a statement on Saturday, according to Reuters news agency. The Farc has not publicly responded to the allegations.

On Saturday, the Colombian army announced that it was sending additional troops to the region in an effort to restore peace.