Armed conflict in Colombia: “Killing each other is not the way”
In the Catatumbo region, in northeastern Colombia and on the border with Venezuela, clashes between illegal armed groups have already resulted in more than 80 deaths, hundreds of displaced families, and the suspension of peace talks between the government and armed groups.
In an interview with Vatican News, the Bishop of the Diocese of Tibú, Monsignor Israel Bravo, explained how the current conflict stems from “the differences between the two revolutionary forces in the area and the illegal armed groups with differing views on their realities, which has led them to combat with the Colombian State.”
Additionally, the bishop pointed out another source of contention. “There is also the problem of the coca paste they produce, territorial control, and they are generating confusion and the situation we find ourselves in.” A spark that started the fire was the killing of a family, including their 8-month-old child.
Migration displacement
In the Diocese of Tibú, the “Pope Francis Center” was established a few years ago to help Venezuelan migrants and now it serves as a shelter for those displaced from different rural areas fleeing armed violence. Some Colombian migrants are also seeking refuge in Venezuelan communities.
Bishop Bravo estimated the consequences of these clashes include “children, desperate families, people leaving the area, a massive displacement toward the city of Cúcuta.” This exodus, he explained, has a great impact as it means “leaving abandoned farms with livestock, both large and small, and homes that no one will care for, creating a climate of desolation and great fear.”
Pilgrims of hope with the victims of violence
The Bishop implored the groups involved in the violence to “come to their senses, realizing that killing each other is not the way.” He argued against the ongoing spilling of “the blood of innocent or not-so-innocent men and women.”
Highlighting the message of this Jubilee Year of Hope, Bishop Brava emphaszied “we are as pilgrims of hope, encountering Jesus Christ with the victims of violence, with the victims of armed conflicts.”
A long-running conflict
For 60 years, Colombia has endured civil war, violence, and uprisings, making it the longest-running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. Guerrilla groups emerged in the 1960s from various uprisings, which led to the formation of two groups - the National Liberation Army or ELN and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC. With the introduction of the drug economy, the armed gangs grew.
As a result of the different and successive armed conflicts, more than 3 million of Colombia's 44 million people are internally displaced.
Over the last few years, the government attempted to hold peace talks with the ELN, with the most recent being in the fall of 2024. But, on January 20, an attack by the National Liberation Army killed at least 80 people in the northeastern part of the country.
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