The fatalities were killed “in a confrontation between the self-proclaimed ‘border commandos’ and the first front ‘Carolina Ramírez’ of FARC dissidents,” the human rights organization said. She did not say whether the fatalities were civilians.
The clashes took place in a rural area about 60 kilometers from the border with Ecuador. The Border Commandos is an armed group that controls drug trafficking routes in the jungle near the border with Ecuador.
The Carolina Ramírez Front is made up of rebels who oppose the 2016 peace deal with the government to disarm the FARC. Both groups have been fighting for control of smuggling routes in the region for at least three years.
In Colombia, the state and various guerrilla groups have been fighting each other for more than half a century. President Gustavo Petro, who was elected Colombia’s first left-wing head of state in August and was himself a former guerrilla fighter, has set himself the goal of ending the armed conflict.
The Colombian government and a delegation from the strongest remaining guerrilla group ELN on Monday want to resume peace talks that have been interrupted since 2019.
Ahead of the planned peace talks, Carolina Ramírez’s front also met with representatives of Petro’s government to discuss a ceasefire. The group said it would limit attacks on security forces in favor of a bilateral ceasefire.
(SDA)