At least 60 killed in Colombia amid failed peace talks with National Liberation Army

At least 60 people were killed in Colombia’s northeast region following failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN), officials  said.

Among those killed were seven people who had sought to sign a peace deal including community leader Carmelo Guerrero. The attacks took place in various towns in the Catatumbo region with at least three people involved in the peace talks being kidnapped.

Hundreds of people are fleeing the area, with some hiding in the nearby lush mountains. Colombia’s government has demanded that the National Liberation Army, known as ELN, cease all attacks and allow authorities to enter the region and provide humanitarian aid.

The attack comes after Colombia suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army for the second time in less than a year.

The ELN has been fighting against former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrilla group in Catatumbo, located near the border with Venezuela, as it infiltrates rural areas once occupied by the FARC, which disbanded after signing a peace deal with the government.

With inputs from agencies