Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Monday that he will declare a state of emergency following a series of guerrilla attacks in the country's northeast that have killed dozens and forced thousands to flee their homes.
In a message on X, Petro said he would "declare a state of internal commotion," a measure allowing the executive branch to pass certain legislation without congressional approval for three months. The measure will take effect once signed by the President and his Cabinet, though it can be invalidated by Colombia's constitutional court.
Internal commotion decrees were previously used in the early 2000s by then-President Álvaro Uribe’s administration to increase military funding through a special war tax.
Under Colombia's constitution, this emergency measure cannot be used to dissolve congress or revoke civil rights. “I hope the judicial system supports us,” Petro wrote on X.
Earlier on Monday, Petro warned that the military would launch offensive actions against the National Liberation Army (ELN) after the group unleashed attacks in the Catatumbo region, killing at least 80 people.
“The ELN has chosen the path of war, and that's what they will get,” Petro wrote on X, accusing the group of becoming a drug trafficking organisation and comparing their tactics to those of Pablo Escobar, the infamous cartel leader who bombed government buildings and employed hitmen to eliminate his rivals.
Petro, once a member of a guerrilla group, initiated peace talks with the ELN in 2022 after promising during his presidential campaign to achieve their demobilisation within three months of taking office. However, negotiations have stalled over disagreements about disarmament terms and the government’s proposed economic reforms.
The ELN has criticised the government for negotiating separately with a dissident group in the southwest and has continued to kidnap civilians and extort businesses, further aggravating officials.
Petro suspended talks with the ELN on Friday after escalating violence in Catatumbo, a mountainous region producing about 15 per cent of Colombia's coca crop, located on the Venezuelan border.
The ELN, with an estimated 6,000 fighters, reportedly targeted civilians it accused of collaborating with a rival group, the FARC-EMC. Armed men dragged individuals from their homes and executed them, while firefights broke out between the two groups in rural areas.
In a Monday statement, ELN leader Antonio García claimed his organisation does not target civilians but is pursuing ex-rebels now allied with the FARC-EMC.
Over the weekend, thousands fled Catatumbo, fearing for their lives. Among the displaced were community leaders, former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) members demobilised under the 2016 peace deal, and others threatened by the ELN.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported Monday that the recent violence in Catatumbo displaced 18,300 people. Many are now sheltering in cities such as Tibu, Ocaña, and Cúcuta, where officials warn of a looming humanitarian crisis.
Sandra Tijaro, a farmer in northeastern Colombia, fled her village on Friday after armed men demanded residents evacuate. She and her children are now in a shelter in Tibu.
“We want the armed groups to think about the welfare of rural folks,” she said. “We are hard-working people who end up carrying the burden of this conflict.”
The 2016 peace deal demobilised 11,000 FARC fighters but left power vacuums in rural areas, allowing smaller rebel groups to emerge. The government has struggled to reduce violence against civilians in these regions.
Follow us
