Violence in northeastern Colombia has left over 80 dead and thousands displaced following failed peace talks between the government and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The attacks occurred in the Catatumbo region near Venezuela's border,

FILE - Colombian government representative Vera Grabe, left, and Colombian commander of the National Liberation Army guerrilla group (ELN) Pablo Beltran exchange their signed ceasefire extension agreement in Havana, Cuba, Feb. 6, 2024. Behind are Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, left, and an unidentified Cuban official.

Colombia's Attorney General reissued arrest warrants for ELN leaders amid increased violence and displacement in the Catatumbo region. President Petro, seeking peace after decades of conflict, suspended talks following ELN attacks.

More than 80 people have been killed in just three days in northeast Colombia following failed attempts to hold peace talks with the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN), an official has said. The ELN launched an assault in the northeastern Catatumbo region last Thursday on a rival group comprised of ex-members of the now-defunct FARC armed group who kept fighting after it disarmed in 2017.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended peace talks with the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) on Friday, after accusing the group of committing a war crime in the Catatumbo region, in the country's Norte de Santander province.

It is the second time in less than a year that Colombian authorities halt peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, after blaming the rebel group for recent violence in the northeastern region of Tibu.