Venezuela Aids Displaced Families as Armed Conflict Erupts in Colombia

Clashes between armed groups on the border have led to an indefinite suspension of peace talks between the ELN and the Petro government.
Venezuela has deployed humanitarian resources to help the affected families. (Photo: AP)

Caracas, January 21, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Hundreds of Colombian nationals have sought refuge in Venezuela after fleeing violence from armed groups in the Catatumbo region of Norte de Santander.

According to Venezuela’s Interior Ministry, 812 displaced Colombians, including 258 women and 202 children, have found shelter in the Jesús María Semprún municipality, Zulia state. Humanitarian assistance points have been deployed to provide the affected families with food, medical care, as well as identity documentation.

Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil confirmed on Sunday that Caracas had communicated with Bogotá to coordinate assistance for the border region emergency. “Venezuela is committed to making all its resources available to Colombia to mitigate this crisis,” he stated on social media.

For his part, Deputy Minister for Risk Management and Civil Protection, Admiral Juan Carlos Oti Paituvi, informed that military doctors, food and water were available in four humanitarian corridors. Additionally, personnel from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are on site carrying out a census.

“We have the presence of firefighters, Civil Protection, and our Bolivarian National Armed Forces [FANB], as well as the police, attending to citizens with all the necessary care,” Oti said. 

Since Thursday, more than 80 people have died in the northeastern Catatumbo region as a result of clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The latter refused to join the 2016 peace accords signed between the FARC and the Colombian government, which aimed to end over half a century of armed conflict.

Local media indicate that the ELN launched an assault on the FARC group, reportedly over control of drug trafficking routes and territory. Colombia’s Ombudsman has reported that more than 11,000 people have been displaced due to the escalating violence, with around 4,000 fleeing to Cúcuta, the departmental capital.

In a statement on Saturday, the ELN claimed that the attack was a response to actions taken by the former FARC members against the Catatumbo population, resulting in several deaths, including a couple and their nine-month-old baby. In previous days, the ELN also clashed with the Gulf Clan, a powerful drug cartel that evolved from Colombia’s paramilitary groups. The confrontations led to nine fatalities in northern Colombia.

Venezuela has been heavily affected by the neighboring armed conflict, with millions of Colombians migrating to Venezuela to escape the violence since the 1960s. 

The Caribbean country has played a central role in brokering the 2016 peace deal with the FARC, but the historical pact failed to extinguish the violence involving guerrillas, paramilitary groups and drug cartels over control of resources and coca-producing territories.

In 2022, the Maduro government hosted the first round of dialogue between the ELN and the Gustavo Petro government, who pledged to secure “total peace” after the former far-right Iván Duque government had called off talks in 2019.

However, the recent surge in violence has led to an indefinite halt in the negotiation process. On Friday, Petro announced the suspension of peace talks, citing the rebel group’s “war crimes” and its apparent “lack of willingness for peace.” 

In a separate post, the Colombian leader remarked that the ELN has “chosen the path of war,” assigning the Colombian army the task of “safeguarding and protecting the population of Catatumbo.” In response, Bogotá mobilized 25 tons of aid and deployed over 5,000 soldiers to the area to bolster security and ensure safe passage for those displaced from their homes.

The Colombian armed forces have been mired in controversy for multiple war crimes against civilians during the country’s protracted 60-year conflict. In 2023, Army Commander Luis Ospina issued a formal apology for the targeting and killing of 6,402 civilians—mainly young men from poor neighborhoods—who the army labeled as left-wing guerrillas to artificially inflate military kill rates.

For her part, Vera Grabe, head of the government dialogue delegation, emphasized that communication channels would remain open for the ELN to engage if it chooses to “move toward peace.”

Colombian Senator Iván Cepeda lamented that the ELN’s actions had resulted in the deaths of unarmed civilians, social leaders, and peace signatories living in Catatumbo. “The ELN must express once and for all its intention and commitment to achieving peace,” he stated, while also accusing the group of committing similar war crimes in other regions.

Among the victims in the latest clashes are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who supported a peace deal. Defense Minister Iván Velásquez informed of an operation to extract social leaders and peace signatories alongside their families.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz from Caracas.