Colombia reactivates arrest warrants for rebel leaders after fatal attacks

This photo provided by COLPRENSA on Jan. 22, 2025 shows emergency workers and displaced people at the General Santander Stadium in Cucuta, Colombia. (Catalina Olaya/COLPRENSA/Handout via Xinhua)

BOGOTA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's Attorney General's Office on Wednesday reactivated arrest warrants for 31 leaders of the nation's largest rebel group following the attacks in the northeastern Catatumbo region that have left at least 80 dead and 32,000 displaced.

The violence unleashed by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas has caused a "humanitarian tragedy," the authorities said, adding the rebels violated the conditions for suspending their arrest, which had been put in place by the government to facilitate peace talks in 2022.

Among those wanted are the ELN's military chief Herlinto Chamorro, alias "Antonio Garcia," and the group's chief negotiator in peace talks, Pablo Beltran, it added.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared a state of internal unrest on Tuesday, calling the violence one of the "most dramatic events" in the country's recent history. He criticized the lack of information on the ELN's growing strength and questioned how the group moved to the region without detection. ■

This photo provided by COLPRENSA on Jan. 22, 2025 shows displaced people at the General Santander Stadium in Cucuta, Colombia. (Catalina Olaya/COLPRENSA/Handout via Xinhua)