Fighting in Catatumbo affects the civilian population and generates forced displacements towards Ocaña and Cúcuta.
The humanitarian crisis in Catatumbo worsens in the midst of the intense and increasingly cruel clashes between the ELN and the FARC dissidents. The civilian population is the main victim of this armed confrontation, with serious effects on mobility, security and access to food in different sectors of the region.
From the December 15when the fighting intensified, at least a thousand families have been forcibly displaced from municipalities such as Tibu and El Tarrawhere both armed groups dispute territorial control in a scenario marked by fear and uncertainty.
According to figures from the Norte de Santander Governoratenails 300 families They currently remain in the urban area of Tibú. To them are added hundreds more who have reached Ocaña and Cúcutafleeing clashes, drone attacks and bombings in rural areas.
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“The worst year of our lives”
For many displaced people, 2025 has been the most painful year. The violence forced them to abandon their homes to protect their lives, leaving behind belongings, crops and families.
“2025 has been the worst year for many families in Catatumbo. We had to leave, leaving everything behind so as not to be caught in the middle of bombs, drones and bullets. For us there was no Christmas or New Year,” said one of the displaced people who arrived in Cúcuta.
Peasants assure that Entire families have escaped through trails and wooded areasoften separating themselves from their loved ones and without time to collect belongings.
“We left with only what we were wearing. Some were given hours to leave the area; others simply could no longer navigate the streets,” said another affected person.
Burned homes and deserted towns
Communities that came to Ocaña from the township of Filogringo, in El Tarrathey reported that their homes were cremated and that they were forced to leave the territory due to the action of armed groups.
“The streets were deserted, houses burned and bodies on the tracks. What we are experiencing is hell; we live in permanent fear,” said one of the victims of displacement.
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Urgent call to the national government
From the affected territories, community leaders and victims have reiterated the need for the National government takes immediate action to guarantee the safety of the civilian population and allow an eventual safe return to their lands.
So far, support has fallen mainly to regional authorities and mayorswhich provide basic assistance to the displaced, as the emergency continues to grow.
Since the beginning of the armed offensive of the ELN against the FARC dissidents, the January 16, more than 90,000 people They have been displaced in different municipalities of Catatumbo. Some have managed to return, but others have had to flee to other regions of the country and even abroad, escaping a war that continues without respite.
Source: Integrated Information System
