GNV News February 16, 2025

 Due to clashes among armed groups in the border area between Colombia and Venezuela, in Colombia about 54,000 people have been displaced from their homes since January 2025, an estimated 80 people were killed over a few days, and the security situation has seriously deteriorated. In response, the Colombian government declared a state of emergency in the Catatumbo region, which has been particularly affected by armed groups, and is seeking to secure funding for emergency relief efforts by imposing new taxes.

 These developments stem from clashes between multiple armed groups and the government. The National Liberation Army (ELN), an insurgent group, has expanded its power by financing itself through illegal activities such as drug trafficking and gold mining, affecting security in neighboring Venezuela. Although the former rebel group FARC and the Colombian government reached a peace agreement in 2016, one (1) faction that rejected the accord broke away from the peace process. Subsequently, another armed group that split from FARC also began operating and is said to have bases in neighboring Ecuador as well. The government continues peace talks with these groups, and the ELN, like FARC, had been advancing negotiations, but there are growing concerns about their continuation.

Learn more about Latin America → “Challenges facing politics and society in Latin America“

Learn more about Colombia’s armed groups → “Is Colombia’s peace in jeopardy?“

Learn more about Colombia’s reforms and the path to peace → “Colombia’s rapidly advancing reforms“

(Photo: ELN soldier Brasil de Fato / Flickr [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0] )