Violence in Colombia After Failed Peace Talks

Samira Ali

Staff Writer

In the northeast region of Colombia, the small town of Tibu has become a symbol for the resurrection of guerilla violence, as escalating tensions between paramilitary forces fuel fear across the country.  The region of Catatumbo has endured an uptick in attacks by the National Liberation Army (ELN), after the government failed attempts to hold peace talks with the group, leaving 80 people dead. Among the victims are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and several other individuals who sought to sign a peace deal. As a result, the lives of thousands have been upended, as nearly 32,000 thousand displaced civilians are desperately seeking refuge.

As guerilla groups battle for control over the most lucrative coca production fields in the world, strategic trafficking routes to Venezuela, and illegal mines, communities have been destroyed. One official government agency received dozens of reports citing that ELN rebels have conducted house-to-house checks, killing those suspected to have ties with rival groups or the peace accords. Despite the region not being a stranger to unrest, such violence is unprecedented, “We are facing one of the largest and most serious humanitarian crises that Catatumbo has ever faced, if not the largest,” said Iris Marin Ortiz, Colombia’s ombudsman reports The Guardian.

 The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Tibu has left neighboring cities, such as Cucuta and Bucaramanga, overwhelmed with families and elderly individuals seeking safety. Local governments have set up temporary housing for the displaced in places such as soccer stadiums, reports RFI. Al Jazeera reports that among the displaced, about 1,000 have sought shelter in Venezuela, 30 people have been kidnapped, and nearly 1,000 are trapped in their homes. Many Venezuelans who sought refuge in Colombia a decade ago, fleeing their own country’s crisis, now find themselves displaced once again, some even stating that the conditions in Tibu are worse than back home. 

The recent outbreak in Colombia echoes the trauma of the 1990s, a period that marked the height of the country’s brutal 60-year armed conflict says RFI. This decades-long struggle, which began in 1964, left nearly 9 million Colombians killed, kidnapped, or displaced, according to authorities.  The scars of this era have deeply resonated with President Gustavo Petro, a former FARC member, who has since prioritized seizing violence and has pursued lasting peace through diplomatic channels. In 2016, Petro helped broker the Peace Talk Accords, which dismantled the FARC and ended more than half a century of war, representing a significant victory for Colombia. 

In the wake of the FARC’s disbandment, new guerilla groups emerged with weaker political ideologies and fewer morals, notably the ELN and the 33rd Front, which filled the power vacuum. Their inhumane tactics and illegal drug trafficking affairs have continuously undermined Petros’s visions of total peace. Since 2016 alone, RFI reports that Colombia has seen the displacement of 1.5 million people, in which the ELN has targeted those seeking peace as well as those who have participated in peace negotiations, says The Associated Press.

Following the most recent attacks, Petro accused the ELN of committing war crimes in the Catatumbo region, suspending peace talks, stating on X, formerly Twitter, “The dialogue process with this group is suspended, the ELN has no will for peace”. He has since deployed 10 tons of food and hygiene kits as well as 5,000 troops to the region, according to The Associated Press. The Guardian reports that on Monday Petro further pledged to declare a state of economic emergency and a state of internal unrest, to free up funds to expedite government action and grant him the authority to bypass Congress. Meanwhile, the ELN has vandalized Tibu, leaving graffiti that reads “The ELN is present” and another, “liberty or death”, signaling their growing presence in the region, reports Al Jazeera. As violence engulfs regions such as Catatumbo, many Colombians fear that a future of lasting total peace may slip further out of reach, leaving the nation trapped in an endless cycle of hardship and trauma.

Image courtesy of Getty Images