Colombia's Ongoing Conflict: A Call for Peace Amid Tragedy

Around 60 people have been killed in northeast Colombia amid failed peace talks with the National Liberation Army. The violence includes kidnapped participants of the peace negotiations and affects towns in the Catatumbo region. This escalation comes after Colombia suspended negotiations with the group.

A tragic escalation of violence has claimed 60 lives in Colombia's northeast, following failed peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN). Seven individuals who attempted to broker peace, including community leader Carmelo Guerrero, are among the dead, according to a report released by a government ombudsman agency on Saturday.

The attacks have spanned several towns in the Catatumbo region, leading to the kidnapping of at least three peace talk participants. This violence has forced hundreds to flee, seeking refuge in nearby mountains as tensions rise.

The Colombian government has reiterated its demand for the ELN to halt all attacks and grant access for humanitarian aid. The conflict has intensified following the suspension of peace talks with the ELN for a second time in under a year, as the group battles former FARC members for control in Catatumbo, a region near the Venezuelan border.

(With inputs from agencies.)