Attachments
In this Regional Overview covering January 2025
- Colombia: An ELN offensive against ex-FARC dissidents triggers deadly violence in Norte de Santander
- Ecuador: Violence mars the country’s electoral campaign
- Haiti: The Viv Ansanm gang alliance expands in Port-au-Prince with an offensive in Kenscoff commune
- Jamaica: Police’s killing of a One Order gang leader sparks unrest in Saint Catherine parish
- Mexico: Clashes between security forces and armed groups increase as the government escalates its fight against organized crime
- Venezuela: Maduro’s third term begins amid protests, repression, and global backlash
Colombia: An ELN offensive against ex-FARC dissidents triggers deadly violence in Norte de Santander
On 16 January, the National Liberation Army (ELN) launched an offensive in Norte de Santander against the 33rd front, a dissident faction of the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The ELN aimed to consolidate its presence and tighten its grip on illegal revenues in the Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela.1 As a result of the fighting, at least 52 people were confirmed dead, but the Norte de Santander governor’s office estimated on 19 January that the toll could be as high as 80.2 The deceased include fighters but also social leaders, former FARC combatants, and other civilians whom the ELN claimed to be members of, or collaborating with, the 33rd front.3 Targeted attacks on civilians continued until the end of the month, turning January 2025 into the deadliest month in Norte de Santander since ACLED started coverage of Colombia in 2018. The escalation of violence also forced at least 52,000 people to flee their homes, marking the largest displacement caused by a single event since the Ombudsman’s Office started recording displacements in 1997.4
In response, President Gustavo Petro declared a state of emergency for three months in the Catatumbo region and two municipalities in neighboring Cesar department,5 announced a joint military offensive with Venezuela’s government,6 and suspended negotiations with the ELN.7 January’s events illustrate the challenging path to achieving a sustainable peace agreement with the armed group before the end of Petro’s term.