Rights groups estimate that violence between armed groups in the Kitambo region has displaced more than 32,000 people.
Colombia’s president has issued a decree granting himself emergency powers in a region bordering Venezuela that has been gripped by an outbreak of deadly violence between rival armed groups.
By Gustavo Pietro Decree According to the Associated Press, Friday gives him up to 270 days to impose curfews, restrict traffic and take other measures that generally violate Colombian civil rights or are approved by Congress. There is a need.
It applies to the rural Catambo region on Colombia’s northeastern border with Venezuela.
The area has seen an increase in violence since mid-January between rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the rival factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which control drug routes. fighting to get
At least 80 people have been killed, and More than 32,000 They have been forced to flee their homes in recent weeks, according to rights groups. Residents have said that armed groups are going from house to house and launching indiscriminate attacks.
Last week, Petro’s government announced that it was suspending peace talks with the ELN due to an increase in violence in Kitumbo.
The leftist president, who takes office in 2022, has promised to bring “total peace” to the South American country after decades of conflict between the state, paramilitaries and rebel groups.
Petro has emphasized dialogue with armed groups, and his strategy has reduced violence. But rebel fighting and clashes with the Colombian military persist.
The government has deployed thousands of troops to Ketambo to try to stop the recent violence. On Wednesday, the office Colombia’s Attorney General also reissued arrest warrants for ELN leaders.
It said in a statement that it was “revoking the benefits of the suspended arrest warrants of 31 representatives. [the ELN] … who was recognized by the national government as spokesperson in the negotiations.
The ELN has denied attacking civilians and says its attack is against former FARC rebels and a group of demobilized rebels who support them.
The FARC used to be the country’s largest rebel group, but the organization was largely disbanded after a 2016 peace deal, with several factions splitting off. He has also engaged in recent peace talks with the Petro government.
Rights groups have urged the government to ensure that civilians in Kittambo are safe.
“We call on the Colombian authorities to immediately take all necessary measures to protect civilians in the Catatumbo region, including human rights defenders.” said Amnesty International, warning of “increasing risks of imprisonment, more killings, and enforced disappearances”.
UN chief Antonio Guterres also expressed concern over the worsening situation this week.
Guterres called for an “immediate end to acts of violence against the civilian population and access to inhumane humanitarian aid.” His spokesperson said.
Many residents of Catambo have moved to Venezuela or to the neighboring Colombian region of Norte de Santander.
Adeeb Fletcher, senior regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at aid group Project Hope, said displaced families – including mothers of young children – were arriving in Norte de Santander.
“Families have escaped with only a bag or two, and they have no certainty of returning to their homes,” Fletcher said. A statement On Wednesday
“As people find refuge in overcrowded areas, we are concerned about the spread of disease and the increased strain on local health systems.”
Zalnia Pana, 48, fled the fighting with her eight and 13-year-old children for relative safety in Ocana, a small town in Norte de Santander.
“The corpses were sad, painful. It breaks your soul, your heart,” Pana told the AFP news agency.
She said she just prays the fighting stops so she can return home to her children. “We all want it. “That’s what we ask of these people,” he said.
