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Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced plans on Monday to declare a state of emergency following a series of guerrilla attacks in the country’s northeast that have left dozens dead and forced thousands to flee.
In a message shared on X, Petro revealed his intention to “declare a state of internal commotion,” a legal measure allowing the executive branch to pass specific legislation without congressional approval for three months.
The measure requires a presidential decree signed by the Cabinet to take effect but can be overturned by Colombia’s constitutional court.
Internal commotion decrees were previously employed in the early 2000s under then-President Álvaro Uribe to fund military operations through a special war tax.
However, Colombia’s constitution prohibits using this measure to suspend Congress or revoke civil rights. “I hope the judicial system supports us,” Petro wrote.
Earlier on Monday, Petro had warned of imminent military action against the National Liberation Army (ELN) after the group launched a wave of attacks in the Catatumbo region, resulting in at least 80 deaths.
“The ELN has chosen the path of war, and that’s what they will get,” Petro wrote on X, accusing the group of shifting towards drug trafficking. He compared their violent methods to those of infamous cartel leader Pablo Escobar.
Petro, a former guerrilla member himself, initiated peace talks with the ELN in 2022, promising during his campaign to demobilise the group within three months of taking office. However, negotiations have stalled due to disagreements over disarmament and proposed economic reforms.
Tensions escalated last week when Petro suspended talks after violence erupted in Catatumbo, a region responsible for 15% of Colombia’s coca production and located near the Venezuelan border.
Reports indicate the ELN attacked civilians suspected of aiding the rival FARC-EMC group, forcibly removing people from their homes and executing them publicly. Rural areas also saw clashes between the two groups.
While ELN leader Antonio García claimed on Monday that their targets were ex-rebels collaborating with the FARC-EMC, thousands of civilians fled the violence, including demobilised fighters from the 2016 peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 18,300 people have been displaced by the violence, with many taking refuge in shelters and hotels in cities such as Tibu, Ocaña, and Cúcuta, where officials warn of a growing humanitarian crisis.
Sandra Tijaro, a farmer from northeastern Colombia, recounted fleeing her village after armed men ordered residents to leave. Now staying in a Tibu shelter with her children, she expressed a plea for peace,
“We want the armed groups to think about the welfare of rural folks. We are hard-working people who end up carrying the burden of this conflict.”
The 2016 peace deal led to the demobilisation of 11,000 fighters but left a power vacuum in rural areas, which smaller rebel groups have sought to fill. Despite government efforts, violence against civilians persists in these regions.
English (US)