Colombia: At least 16 dead in clashes between armed rebel groups Conflict News

Bogota Colombia – Violent clashes between Colombian rebel groups have killed at least 16 people near Venezuela, a Colombian human rights ombudsman. he said on Monday.

Sources told Al Jazeera that most of the dead were killed in the eastern Arauca department of Colombia on Sunday. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents and members of the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Some members of the FARC refused 2016 peace agreement which demobilized the group, ending the country’s five-decade-long armed conflict, and dissidents announced their return to arms in 2018. The ELN is the largest in Colombia. the rest is an armed rebel group.

On Sunday night, the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of Colombia indicated “Deep concern over the escalation of the armed conflict in Arauca over clashes between illegal armed groups that put the civilian population at serious risk.”

The office has called on local authorities to be present and to protect civilians in the border area. the rise of violence Linked to armed groups since early 2021.

“In recent hours, there have been homicides, threats, illegal arrests, mass displacement and the risk of forced relocation in border municipalities, specifically in Tame, Fortul, Saravena and Arauquita,” he said.

Security reinforcements

The office of the Colombian president has not yet released the number of people killed as a result of Sunday’s violence.

Juan Carlos Villat, Araucan’s head of human rights issues, told W Radio on Monday morning that “the number [of deaths] 50 ”. Villat said the violence has been the worst he has seen in the region in 10 years.

Meanwhile, Arauca Mayor Etelivar Torres Vargas said in a statement on Sunday that he “strongly condemns violent incidents” and said that they “directly caused surprise, fear and anxiety”. [among] its inhabitants ”.

Colombian President Ivan Duque said a meeting had been held with security officials since the violence broke out and that security reinforcements had been sent to Arauca after the clashes.

Defense Minister Diego Molano also said on Monday that another meeting would be held in Arauca in the afternoon to protect the local population and learn how to control the border area with Venezuela.

The Colombian government has for several years accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of backing FARC dissidents and ELN fighters. Venezuelan border area – a constant denunciation of Caracas denies.

Unanswered questions

Adam Isaacson, a researcher at the Office on Latin America think tank in Washington, said the start of the fighting could be Arauca, a huge strategic department with a long and uncontrolled border with Venezuela.

“For drugs, to stolen cattle, to kidnapped people to the cross,” he told Al Jazeera. “Armed groups tax everything, including beer and food. In addition, there is a lot of oil in Araucan, which means that there are a lot of extraction businesses that can be extorted by armed groups. ”

Isaacson said Arauca is an ELN stronghold within Colombia, and when he visited in 2019, he was told that there was a non-aggression truce between ELN and FARC dissidents.

“This non-aggression deal has clearly come to an end this past weekend,” he said. “Why now? Probably the former FARC has been strengthened, especially by the dissidents of the 10th Front who opposed it. Venezuelan forces last year, and now they have a bigger presence. ”

Juan Pappier, a senior American researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera that the alliance between the ELN and Martin Villa 10 Front, a dissident FARC group, “seems to be breaking down.”

“We have received alarming reports of deaths, forced displacements and kidnappings. Authorities should take urgent measures to protect the civilian population and help the victims, ”Pappier told Al Jazeera.

“Over the years, the conflict between the FARC and the ELN has plagued the people of Arauca and Apure. They cannot be left alone because a new version of this conflict is emerging [be coming] alive in the region. ‘

However, Isaacson said many questions remain unanswered about Sunday’s violence.

“We don’t know which group went on the attack or what caused it, or whether this is just a resurgence or the start of a new war,” he said. “But certainly if the numbers of deaths and displacements we are seeing since this past weekend are accurate, this is one of the most serious humanitarian situations we have seen in Colombia in recent years.”