- Recent attacks in Colombia’s Catatumbo region has killed at least 60
- Violence stems from clashes between rival factions wanting control of cocaine trade
- Many residents at risk of being kidnapped or killed
- At least 20 abductions – half being women
Colombian drug gang violence kills 60 in Catatumbo region
The death toll from recent attacks in Colombia’s Catatumbo region has climbed to 60, according to the country’s human rights office. The violence stems from clashes between rival factions vying for control of the lucrative cocaine trade in the region near the Venezuelan border.
The Ombudsman’s Office reported that the conflict involves the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s largest active armed group, and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), despite the latter signing a peace treaty with the government in 2016.
This outbreak of violence has shattered a fragile truce between the guerrilla groups, who were engaged in peace talks with the government.
The Ombudsman’s Office highlighted that many residents, including community leaders and their families, are at heightened risk of being kidnapped or killed, with at least 20 recent abductions reported, half involving women.
Among the victims are seven signatories of the 2016 peace agreement and Carmelo Guerrero, a prominent leader of the Association for Peasant Unity in Catatumbo (Asuncat).
Asuncat expressed concern on social media about the disappearance of board members Roger Quintero and Freiman Velasquez, suspecting their abduction by armed groups.