Catatumbo, the drama of those displaced by violence and poverty

Bogotá (Prensa Latina) The escalation of violence unleashed in the region of Catatumbo, in the northeast of Colombia, has already completed a month with a balance of 53,000 displaced, more than 20,000 confined and dozens of dead, according to official figures.

February 17, 2025
14:30

Since January 16, when the National Liberation Army (ELN) began fighting against the 33rd Front (a residual group of the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army) thousands of families have been forced to seek refuge in nearby urban capitals.

According to recent data, some 25,000 people chose to settle in the city of Cúcuta, the capital of the department of Norte de Santander, followed by Tibú, with around 15,000, and Ocaña, where more than 10,000 are being cared for.

Although most of the victims of the exodus remain in Colombia, others, however, left the country and moved to neighboring Venezuela.

Authorities report 56 confirmed deaths, but the number could be higher because it is still impossible to go to the conflict zone, where other bodies are believed to be lying.

It is known, however, that about a dozen signatories of the 2016 Peace Agreement were killed by the ELN, for allegedly belonging to the ranks of the 33rd Front, as alleged by that insurgent structure.

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