The government has sent troops to the coca-rich northeastern Katambu region to quell hostilities between rebel groups.
Colombian special forces have been deployed in areas controlled by armed groups to prevent the spread of hostilities among the rebels.
Late Tuesday, government troops moved into areas that have seen a sudden surge in hostilities between rebel groups vying for control of drug routes, and trying to re-establish state control. More than 100 people have been killed in the violence. forced At least 20,000 to leave their homes, according to news agency AFP.
Defectors from the National Liberation Army (ELN) and rival Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) groups have long battled for control of the coca-rich mountainous northeastern Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, but recently the war They respected the ban.
However, fighting broke out again in the past few days, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency and deploy around 5,000 special forces troops to the town of Tabu.
The United Nations reported on Tuesday that nearly 1,000 of those displaced have sought refuge in Venezuela. He added that 30 people have been abducted and 1,000 are trapped in their homes due to the violence.
In a statement, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for protection to “immediately end acts of violence against the civilian population”.
The Catatumbo region has about 300,000 residents and produces 15 percent of Colombia’s coca crop, attracting rebel groups to the area.
Most FARC members laid down their arms after a peace deal with the government in 2016, but splinter factions continue to thrive in pockets of the country, involving themselves in organized crime and the lucrative drug trade.
The ELN, which is believed to number around 6,000 fighters, has also occasionally flirted with agreeing to peace.
However, on Friday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended talks with the ELN, accusing them of committing war crimes. Its fighters are reportedly dragging people out of their homes and shooting them at close range.
On Monday night, Petro said he would issue an emergency executive order that would allow him to enact controversial legislation without congressional approval.
In the townships around Tebo municipality, stickers on sheds and shops commemorated the late commanders of the once-powerful FARC.
On the same empty streets, several buildings were decorated with graffiti declaring “ELN exists” or promising to seek “freedom or death”.
For many Colombians, the recent bloodshed echoes the civil war that killed 450,000 people over half a century and made the country a byword for armed violence.
