Over 250 Colombians in the region of Catatumbo were displaced from their homes on Thursday, Christmas Day, as a result of violent clashes between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN) Marxist terrorist groups.
Since January, both FARC and ELN have waged a fierce territorial battle over control of large swathes of Catatumbo, Norte de Santander, one of the most important areas for the production of coca leaves, cocaine’s main ingredient. The territorial control, reports initially detailed, began after ELN broke a yearslong “non-aggression agreement” that the group had with the “33rd front,” one of FARC’s main branches.
The gruesome conflict, which has extended throughout 2025, has reportedly led to the forced displacement of nearly 74,000 Norte de Santander inhabitants. According to information from the Colombian Ombudsman’s Office, over 101,000 have been displaced from their homes throughout Colombia this year as a result of armed conflict skirmishes as of November 30, with an additional 110,375 inhabitants confined across different regions of the country — collectively affecting over 211,000 individuals.
The Colombian newspaper El Colombiano explained on Friday morning that a new group of 250 residents of Catatumbo were subjected to forced displacement to the town of Tibú after both Marxist terror group forces began clashing with one another again on Christmas Day at 03:00 a.m. (local time). The crossfire left the civilian population caught in the middle of the hostilities and forced residents to abandon their homes to save their lives.
Colombian outlets and social media users shared footage of the incident. Blu Radio shared a pair of videos taken by some of the local residents, who sought refuge from the intense crossfire inside a school. In the videos, some of the men and women are heard yelling that there were kids inside. According to El Tiempo, it is estimated that some 7,000 families in the rural heart of Catatumbo are taking refuge in schools and other community spaces due to fears generated by the clashes.
“Last night, some families from the area managed to flee to the town center,” Mayor of Tibú Richar Claro reportedly said, confirming the gravity of the situation. Hours later, Colombian Ombudsperson Iris Marín Ortiz publicly called for both ELN and FARC’s 33rd Front to immediately cease hostilities and allow the entry of medical personnel to evacuate the wounded and provide humanitarian assistance to the area.
The Ombudsman’s office, in its latest report, released on Friday morning, warned that it documented a sustained increase in the amount of forced displacement in the country throughout 2025 when compared to previous years. The institution stressed that its findings reflect the “persistence of the crisis in the most vulnerable territories.”
During the first 11 months of 2025, the office documented 116 displacement and 93 confinement events with Norte de Santander. Nariño and Cauca registered the highest number of displacement cases. Chocó, Cauca, and Huila had the highest critical confinement rates for this year.
“Given this situation, the Ombudsman’s Office urges the urgent implementation of specific prevention and response policies in the territories with the highest rates of forced displacement and confinement. These measures must have a territorial focus and guarantee the effective presence of the State,” the report reads.
Monsignor Israel Bravo, bishop of the Diocese of Tibú, explained to Colombia’s W Radio on Friday that his Catholic Church set up a local shelter to house the recently displaced families at a time when other social organizations have called on both Marxist terror groups to allow a medical team to enter the territory.
“They arrive with basically just the bare essentials: the clothes on their backs, their children, two or three belongings, practically nothing,” Bishop Bravo said. “The shelter is set up, and there they are given food, the necessary conditions, at least a mattress to sleep on in this place, which was built for that purpose.”
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