At least 66 people were killed and more than 1,200 displaced in January in a region of northeastern Colombia, bordering Venezuela, where two rival armed groups clash, Colombian authorities said on Wednesday February 2.
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“The panorama generated by the armed confrontation between the ELN and the dissident factions of the FARC is worrying”, warned in a message on twitter the office of the Defender of the people, institution in charge of human rights. At least 66 homicides were recorded in one month in this department of Arauca, half of which took place in the locality of Saravena, according to this press release.
The National Liberation Army (ELN, of Guévarist inspiration) and dissidents from the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) who reject a peace agreement signed in 2016 with this Marxist guerrilla have been clashing since the beginning of January for the territorial control of this department, separated from Venezuela by a single river. Because of this proximity, Arauca is a zone of many traffics and contrabands, including an important route to export the drug produced in Colombia. “Currently, all the municipalities of Arauca are at risk due to the presence of illegal armed actors”added the same source, reporting 1,284 displaced persons.
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This violence between the two far-left guerrillas takes the form of targeted assassinations targeting suspected militants and sympathizers on both sides, rather than large-scale military confrontations. They are also taking place in neighboring Venezuela, where, according to Bogota, the two groups have rear bases. The International Committee of the Red Cross has also expressed “concerned (through) the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Arauca and the profound impact of this reality on the civilian population”.