ATTACKS by armed groups in the Colombian region of Catatumbo have left 60 people dead, the country’s human rights office said on Saturday.

The rival factions have spent years fighting for control of the region’s cocaine trade.

The Ombudsman’s Office said that the latest deadly violence involved the National Liberation Army (ELN), the largest armed group in Colombia, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

The attacks broke a fragile truce between the groups which had been involved in peace negotiations with the Colombian government.

The Ombudsman’s Office appeared to place the blame for the latest attacks on the ELN, which had been taking part in peace talks with the Colombian government until these were suspended on Friday due to the levels of violence in Catatumbo.

President Gustavo Petro, who has worked hard since his election in 2022 to end the violence between the country’s armed groups, slammed the ELN for committing “war crimes” and said the group “shows no willingness to make peace.”

In a statement on Saturday, the ELN said that Farc had begun the violence by killing civilians.

Farc has not immediately responded to the accusation.

On Saturday, the Colombian army announced that it was dispatching additional troops to the region in a bid to restore peace.