The Colombian army has launched a military operation to combat gangs in the Catatumbo region on the border with Venezuela. This was reported by the newspaper El Tiempo, citing sources from the Colombian armed forces.
According to the publication, military operations have begun in 11 municipalities in Catatumbo, which is located in the department of Norte de Santander. A day ago, a state of emergency was declared in Colombia due to the activity of fighters from armed groups in the area. El Tiempo reports that armored vehicles of the Colombian army will be deployed on the road between the municipalities of Tibo and Cucuta. The newspaper recalls that at the beginning of the week, the Colombian armed forces launched an operation in Catatumbo to ensure security in the region and reduce the flow of refugees.
The Colombian Ministry of National Defense reported in X that the head of the department, Ivan Velázquez, was informed on January 24 by the Catatumbo security forces about the progress of the operation against the extremists. According to the latest report from the Colombian Ministry of Defense, the number of refugees in the department of Norte de Santander has decreased slightly in recent days and amounts to more than 38 thousand people.
On January 17, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the suspension of peace talks with the rebels of the so-called National Liberation Army due to their clashes with other armed groups formed by former members of the "Revolutionary Army of Colombia" (FARC), in the Catatumbo region. The head of state called the rebels' actions "war crimes". The conflict has led to the forced displacement of at least 32,000 people, according to the Colombian ombudsman's office.
On January 23, the Colombian president discussed with the head of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro the prospects for combating gangs in the border areas.
The National Liberation Army, which numbers several thousand people, remained the only major rebel group in Colombia after the government reached a peace agreement with the FARC in 2016. This ended a bloody conflict that lasted more than half a century and claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people. In November 2022, the authorities announced the start of dialogue with the National Liberation Army. The dialogue process was paused and resumed several times.