Catatumbo campaign

Catatumbo campaign
Part of the Colombian conflict (1964–present)
the War on Drugs (1993–present)
and the Crisis in Venezuela (2010–present)

ELN fighters in Catatumbo, 2019
DateJanuary 2018 (2018-01) – ongoing
(6 years and 10 months)
Location
Catatumbo, Norte de Santander, Colombia with spillovers into Venezuela
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Popular Liberation Army (EPL)

National Liberation Army (ELN)

  • Nororiental de Guerra
 Frente 33 2nd Division, National Army of Colombia Los Rastrojos
Commanders and leaders
  • Mauricio Pácora †
  • "Pepe" (POW)
  • "Gabino"
    • Manuel Guevara
    • "Alfred"
  • Géner García Molina
  • José María Córdova
Strength
132[1][a] 2,500[2][b] 33–200[3][c] 5,600+[4][d]
Total casualties:
893+ deaths[e]
40,000+ displaced estimate as of April 2019 [15]
Crisis in Venezuela
Causes
Effects
Events
Elections
Protests
Timeline
Armed violence
flag Venezuela portal

The Catatumbo campaign has been an ongoing period of strategic violence between militia faction groups in the Catatumbo region [es] of Colombia and Venezuela since January 2018. It is an extension of the War on drugs and developed after the Colombian peace process of 2016. The existence of the war was officially announced in August 2019 after a Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigation. Colombian media reports that the war has directly affected an estimated 145,000 people,[16] with the HRW estimating this at 300,000.[4]

  1. ^ "EPL". Insight Crime. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  2. ^ "ELN". Insight Crime. 27 March 2017. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  3. ^ Asmann, Parker; Bargent, James (23 August 2018). "Shifting Ex-FARC Mafia Alliances Fuel Colombia Criminal Shakeup". Insight Crime. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Colombia's new drug trafficking war puts civilians in danger, HRW warns". France 24. Reuters. 2019-08-09. Archived from the original on 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference pacorakilled was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference 33y60 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Asesinado habitantre de calle en el Mercado Público. YouTube (in Spanish). TV San Jorge. 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Joven venozolano asesinado". YouTube (in Spanish). TV San Jorge. 12 August 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Asesinado de varios impactos de bala en Convención". Youtube (in Spanish). TV San Jorge. 12 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Investigan caso de triple homicidio en Ocaña" (in Spanish). TV San Jorge. 8 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Quince personas murieron de manera violenta en el mes de julio" (in Spanish). TV San Jorge. 2 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2019. (15 supposed natural or accidental deaths with later investigation proving not)
  12. ^ "Cifras del conflicto que estremecen el Catatumbo" (in Spanish). TV San Jorge. 30 July 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  13. ^ "The War in Catatumbo | Abuses by Armed Groups Against Civilians Including Venezuelan Exiles in Northeastern Colombia". Human Rights Watch. 2019-08-08. Archived from the original on 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  14. ^ Charles, Mathew (25 June 2018). "EPL Urban Militia Sows Fear in Colombia-Venezuela Border Communities". Insight Crime. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardiandisplace was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference leaders was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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