At least 80 dead in Colombia amid new wave of violence

At least 80 people have died and more than 11,000 have been forced to flee their homes in Colombia, officials say, amid violent clashes between two rival armed groups on the border with Venezuela.

The violence, in a northeastern region called Catatumbo, is among the worst the country has seen in recent years, raising concerns that the country is moving in the opposite direction of “total peace” – a objective makes the country’s left a priority. president, Gustavo Petro, who is more than halfway through his four-year term.

The Colombian leader visited the region on Friday and wrote on X that his government “stands with the people of Catatumbo.” It also sent troops and humanitarian aid.

Displaced families take refuge in a stadium in Cúcuta, a border town better known in recent years for welcoming Venezuelan migrants. In some places, Colombians are fleeing to Venezuela – home to its own humanitarian crisis – and Venezuela’s autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, has promised to send them aid.

The clashes in Catatumbo mark a sea change from the hope that swept parts of Colombia less than a decade ago, when the country signed a peace deal with its largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

The nation has suffered from decades of internal conflict, with left-wing guerrilla groups including the FARC; paramilitary organizations; and the government fighting for control of the country and lucrative industries like drug trafficking.