Social movements and community organizations demand peace as violence breaks out in the northeastern region of Colombia.

The Colombian border village of Tres Bocas has become a ghost town as residents flee to neighboring Venezuela to escape a new wave of violence that has left at least 80 people dead and displaced thousands in Colombia’s Catatumbo region.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro says he will declare an emergency over the guerrilla attacks in the northeast that have killed dozens of people and forced thousands to flee.

The mountains of Catatumbo in eastern Colombia are so dangerous that the police and army generally don’t stray far from their barracks for fear of snipers.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Thursday that he has been in contact with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to implement an action plan to prevent armed groups from crossing the border, following a week of violent clashes that authorities estimate have left between 60 and 80 dead.

Residents cross a river to Venezuela from Colombia's Tibu, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, following guerrilla attacks that killed dozens and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Catatumbo region.

An aerial view of the Tarra River, which divides Colombia and Venezuela, as seen from Tibu, Norte de Santader Deparment, Colombia, on Sunday. - Schneyder Mendoza/AFP/Getty Images “Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday.

Where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, lightning strikes up to 300 times a year for as many as 9 hours a night. "Catatumbo Lightning," also known as the Maracaibo Beacon, holds the Guinness World Record for the "highest concentration of lightning,

At least 70 leaders of Catatumbo demanded Wednesday in Bogota solutions to the Colombian government for the guerrilla violence that plagues the region bordering Venezuela and in just over two weeks has left between 60 and 80 dead and more than 50,

Colombia’s government on Saturday announced a roughly $700,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of

particularly “in the Catatumbo River” where a joint action plan is under development given the security crisis stemming from activities by the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents of ...

On the dusty roads that wind through broad river valleys, heavily-armed ... of failing to keep its promise to prioritize the Catatumbo region in its peace efforts. Since coming to power in ...