Fighting between leftist ELN rebels and neo-paramilitary rivals from the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) forced the displacement of the inhabitants of a village in west Colombia.
The mass displacement took place after the guerrillas and the successor group of the now-defunct paramilitary group AUC engaged in combat in Lloro, a municipality in the jungles of Choco.
The terror that ultimately forced the village’s 176 inhabitants to flee began on Wednesday when armed members of the AGC entered the town, firing shots in the air and killing one inhabitant.
Before long, ELN guerrillas attacked the neo-paramilitaries who are not just their political enemy, but also a major rival in drug trafficking in the region.
After four hours of terrifying combat in and around the village, the locals were able to grab some belongings and massively abandon their village, which has since then become a ghost town.
The townsmen fled to the nearby town of Yuto and the province capital of Quibdo.
The fighting between the ELN and the AGC is not limited to just one incident in the region.
Earlier this year, more than 3,000 people were forced to flee the municipality of Medio San Juan amid fighting between the same groups.
Clashes between ELN, Urabeños and army displace 3000 in west Colombia
The violence also threatens to cut off Quibdo from the rest of Colombia as the AGC has imposed a public transport ban in the area, leaving those using the Quibdo-Pereira road in serious danger of retaliation.
The Quibdo-Medellin road, the only other road in the province, has been closed for two months already following a landslide.
The ELN is Colombia’s second largest rebel group and currently engaged in complicated peace talks with the government.
The AGC has also indicated they want to enter peace talks, but this possibility has been rejected by the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos.