Kathmandu, January 4
At least 16 people have been killed in violent clashes between two rebel groups in the South American country of Colombia.
At least 16 people have been killed in clashes near the border with Venezuela, according to
international media reports.
Most of those killed in Sunday’s clashes in the eastern Colombian town of Arauca were members of the FARC and ELN, according to Jazeera.
Colombia’s presidential office has not released official figures for those killed in Sunday’s violent clashes. But a human rights official in Arauca, Juan Carlos Villate, told a local radio station that the death toll could rise to 50.
Both the FARC and the ELN are communist rebel groups. The FARC has laid down its arms since the peace deal with the government in 2016, while the ELN has continued its armed struggle.
But some FARC members who have been rejecting the peace deal with the government have announced that they will take up arms again in 2018. ELN clashed with the same dissident group on Sunday.
By Karuna Thapa
