At least 16 people were killed in clashes between banned armed groups in the Colombian region of Arauca last weekend. That reports the Ombudsman of the South American country Monday. According to the Colombian army, fighters from the guerrilla movement ELN and dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) fought for control over drug trafficking and other illegal activities in the area bordering Venezuela.
The Colombian Ombudsman writes that he has information that several murders have taken place this weekend. There were also threats and illegal detentions. Twelve families are said to have become homeless in the border municipalities of Tame and Saravena. Colombian President Ivan Duque announced on Monday after emergency consultations that two army battalions would be sent to the area to keep order, Reuters news agency reported.
The escalating violence is reminiscent of the period between 2000 and 2010, when the FARC and the ELN fought each other in Arauca and the Venezuelan state of Apure. When the fighting ended in 2010 and the groups began rallying against the government, at least 868 civilians had been killed and more than 58,000 lost their homes, according to Human Rights Watch.
In 2016, after four years of negotiations, the FARC reached a peace agreement with the Colombian government, after which part of the group seceded. It is estimated that there are still about 2,500 former FARC rebels active who have not laid down their weapons. They are mainly engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining. In doing so, they enter the field of paramilitary movements, drug cartels and the extreme-left guerrilla movement ELN, which regularly leads to conflict. The ELN also negotiated a peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2017, but talks stalled after an attack on a police academy left 23 dead.
#killed #clashes #armed #groups #Colombia