Ongoing violent clashes in Colombia between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Marxist terrorist groups in the country’s region of Catatumbo have left more than 40,000 displaced, local media reported Friday.
Last week, ELN launched a full-scale series of ongoing attacks against FARC’s “33rd Front” in Catatumbo to gain control of the region’s coca leaf crops, the main ingredient used in the manufacture of cocaine. According to local authorities, the clashes are mainly taking place across the municipalities of Cúcuta, Ocaña, and Tibú.
The “33rd Front” is one of FARC’s most active groups, incorrectly described by mainstream media as FARC “dissidents” after the Marxist terrorist group signed a “peace deal” with the government of then-President Juan Manuel Santos in 2016. The peace deal, which Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize for, saw FARC leaders receive legal immunity, uncontested Congress seats, and other benefits in exchange for “abandoning terrorism.”
Both ELN and FARC’s 33rd Front reportedly maintained a tacit “non-aggression agreement” since 2022 that saw both groups establish limits on their respective areas of influence and criminal economies, such as the sale of coca leaves for the production of cocaine.
The ELN reportedly broke the “non-aggression” deal on January 16 after it launched an attack against FARC in Catatumbo. Far-left President Gustavo Petro responded to ELN’s actions by describing them as war crimes and suspended “peace” deal talks between ELN and the Colombian government. The Office of the Colombian Attorney General responded to ELN’s actions by reactivating arrest warrants against 31 ELN members that had been suspended as part of the peace talks.
The Colombian newspaper La Nación reported Friday that the conflict between ELN and FARC has left anywhere between 60 to 80 dead, depending on different reports from local authorities — but pointed out that forensics from Colombia’s Legal Medicine have only identified 41 bodies due to difficulties in accessing the areas where the fighting took place.
Authorities from the Norte de Santander department confirmed to local media that the ongoing conflict between ELN and FARC has displaced more than 40,000 people from the area.
“Despite the risk of confinement in the affected municipalities, some inhabitants have managed to escape, either by their own means or in land, motorized or river caravans. However, the situation remains critical, especially for peace signatories, leaders and even children, who face a high risk of being kidnapped or killed,” the Ombudsman’s Office reportedly said.
The Ombudsman’s Office made an urgent appeal to the Colombian government and described the public order situation in Catatumbo as “critical.”
“The situation in Catatumbo demands immediate action to guarantee the safety of the entire population and the special protection of social leaders, as well as mayors and ombudsmen. It is crucial to characterize the victims in order to provide them with adequate care in shelters,” the Ombudsman’s Office stressed.
Far-left President of Colombia Gustavo Petro, nearly a week after the start of the violent clashes, formally declared a 90-day “state of emergency” on Friday morning for the affected Catatumbo municipalities and the metropolitan area of Cúcuta, where most of the displaced individuals have arrived. The measure allows his administration to issue decrees “with the force of law” to implement measures towards the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the affected region.
Petro declared the state of emergency shortly after returning from a controversial official visit to Haiti. Petro chose to travel to the Caribbean nation this week right as the violent situation escalated. During his visit to Haiti, Petro “apologized” for the alleged involvement of Colombian mercenaries in the assassination of late Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
The far-left president also availed himself of the opportunity to rant against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies against illegal migrants during a joint press availability with Haitian interim President Leslie Voltaire.
“They don’t want Haitians, they don’t want Venezuelans, they don’t want Puerto Ricans, they don’t want Colombians, well, let’s leave them alone for a while and see how they do. I think we are the ones who are going to help each other,” Petro said. “Those who kick us out are going to be left alone. And the more alone the poorer, the more decadent. The more alone they think they are the superior race, the more Nazis they will become.”
“More than nations, today a new political body has to emerge, a new political subject that makes the revolutions that are needed today. This is called humanity. Above the nation, we must tell Trump, we must tell Elon Musk, that humanity is more important,” he continued. “Only nations can live if humanity lives. And humanity can live if it is free and if beings are free in every corner of the planet.”
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
