Videos circulating on social networking sites show men in camouflage uniforms shooting in a vegetated area.
At least ten people have been killed in fighting between members of the National Liberation Army (ELN, Guevara) and dissidents from the former rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, Marxists) on the Venezuela-Colombia border, a researcher for the non-governmental organization Human Observatory said on Wednesday. of Rights (HRW).
“Information we have received is of at least ten dead in Arauca in hostilities between the ELN and FARC dissidents,” Juan Papier, the NGO’s researcher, said on Twitter.
Without specifying the death toll, Colombia’s ombudsman’s office said it found “bodies of men killed in fighting” on Monday and Tuesday in the small town of Puerto Rodón, near Colombia’s northeastern border.
Colombia’s government and military have not reacted so far.
Videos circulating on social networking sites show men in camouflage uniforms shooting in a vegetated area.
In this area, ELN rebels have repeatedly engaged in fighting with FARC dissidents, who reject the 2016 peace deal.
Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, announced on December 31 that a cease-fire agreement had been reached with the five largest armed groups, including the ELN, FARC dissidents, and gangs that are a continuation of far-right paramilitary groups; however, the ELN and FARC dissidents denied it a few days later and refuse to abide by the truce.
Experts stressed that even if the deal were implemented, it would not stop conflicts in remote areas where insurgents and drug traffickers battle over control of territory and cocaine-trafficking routes.
In January 2022, ELN and FARC dissidents engaged in bloody clashes in Arauca. Information spoke of 50 dead.
In this region, the epicenter of the violence that continues to rage in Colombia, 352 murders were recorded last year, according to the Ombudsman.
The government’s peace negotiations with the ELN are expected to continue at the end of January in Mexico.
RES-EMP
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
