UN envoy says Catatumbo violence threatens implementation of Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement

Carlos Ruiz Massieu, a speaker to the council, told the United Nations Security Council on Jan. 1 that a surge of violence in the Catatumbo region is jeopardizing implementation of Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement and urged armed groups to stop attacks on civilians.

“If it places at risk the civilian population, including community leaders and peace signatories,” Ruiz Massieu said, “I condemn these killings, which are an attack against peace itself.” He told the council the violence since late last week had claimed “dozens of civilian lives,” including former combatants and local leaders, and had displaced thousands.

The council was briefed that the attacks in Catatumbo followed an assault by the National Liberation Army (ELN) in an area where a rival armed group referred to in the briefing as EMBF is present. Ruiz Massieu said the confrontations reflect clashes between armed groups in areas with a limited state presence where they “compete for control over illegal economies.” He repeated calls for armed groups to allow “unhindered access for humanitarian responders.”

Why this matters: Ruiz Massieu framed the violence as both a humanitarian emergency and a…