The clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the 33rd Front have so far killed at least 166 people and injured more than 60, according to figures released by the Unified Command Post in the region monitoring the situation.

Just a few hours after the fighting began, President Gustavo Petro suspended negotiations between the Government and the ELN.

The president wrote on his X profile, “What the ELN has committed in Catatumbo are war crimes. The talks with that group are suspended; the ELN has no desire for peace.”

Dozens of residents in Catatumbo, in Norte de Santander department, abandoned their homes to escape the conflict and traveled to Cucuta, where they were housed in hotels or temporary shelters. Others chose to cross the border into Venezuela, while hundreds of families remained trapped in the crossfire.

The Army then announced that it would conduct a phased military operation to address the situation of insecurity.

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