Colombian Conflict Escalates with Deadly Clashes and Bomb Attacks

Violence in the Catatumbo region and neighboring areas intensifies, leaving one soldier dead, multiple injured, and thousands displaced as guerrilla groups battle for control.

• A Colombian soldier was killed and another injured during clashes with FARC dissidents in the coca-producing Catatumbo region on Thursday.
• The Catatumbo region has seen over 60 deaths and 50,000 displacements this year due to fighting between the ELN and FARC holdouts.
• Explosive devices injured six people in bomb attacks targeting police stations and a toll booth in the cities of Cucuta and Villa del Rosario.
• Authorities suspect the ELN is behind the bombings, coinciding with significant dates for the group, though no arrests have been made yet.
• President Gustavo Petro's emergency decree to restore order in the region has raised concerns over civil rights violations as violence continues.

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The Independent