More than 100 killed in 5 days of intense violence across Colombia

​​​​​​​By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - President Gustavo Petro declared war Monday on the National Liberation Army (ELN) as violence escalates across Colombia in recent days with more than 100 dead and the displacement of thousands.

"The ELN ... has chosen the path of Pablo Escobar, whom they have chosen as their permanent guide," Petro wrote on X after he ordered the suspension Friday of peace negotiations with guerrilla group. "They have chosen the path of war, and there will be war," he declared.

Escobar is the notorious Colombian drug trafficker who was killed in 1993.

In the Catatumbo region, in the northeast, fierce fighting between ELN guerrillas and a dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has resulted in the deaths of more than 80 victims. It has also injured 20 and displaced thousands of residents.

Separately, in the southern Amazon region, clashes between two rival FARC dissident factions have led to the deaths of at least 20 others.

The fighting is concentrated on border regions with Venezuela, where criminal organizations are fiercely vying for control of key drug trafficking routes.

Violence erupted Thursday in Catatumbo, significantly affecting the civilian population.

In the southern Amazon, fighting in the municipality of Calamar intensified between groups led by Calarcá, the head of a FARC dissident group, and Iván Mordisco, a rebel leader who did not sign the 2016 peace agreement between the FARC and the government.

The attacks, which are reminiscent of the worst times of the armed conflict in the country, include massacres of entire families, selective assassinations and fighting that have left 11,000 displaced.

Authorities have struggled to accurately assess the full extent of casualties due to the inaccessibility of many of the affected areas. Reports indicate that the bodies of victims are decomposing and morgues in the Norte de Santander region, where Catatumbo is located, are operating at more than 250% capacity.

Thousands are taking refuge in makeshift shelters in schools and coliseums, while hundreds have fled to Venezuela. The army has evacuated more than 230 people, including children, by helicopter.

Negotiations with the ELN and FARC dissidents were a cornerstone of Petro's ambitious "Total Peace" policy to engage in simultaneous dialogue with all armed groups operating within the country.