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No fewer than 48 people have been killed in clashes between two breakaway factions of the former FARC Guerrilla rebel group in Colombia’s Amazon region, days ahead of the May 31 presidential election, a local mayor said on Thursday.
Mayor of San José del Guaviare, Willy Rodríguez, told AFP that the bodies were still at the scene and had not yet been evacuated.
“The bodies are lying there in a heap; they need to be evacuated,” he said.
An army source said the fighting began on Monday in Vereda Piripal, a remote jungle area that was once a stronghold of the FARC guerrilla group.
Colombia has seen a new wave of violence in recent years as smaller armed groups fight for control of territory and illegal activities such as drug trafficking and mining.
The violence is seen as a major setback for President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” policy, which aims to end conflict through dialogue with armed groups. The upcoming presidential election has brought the security situation into focus, with candidates divided over how to deal with armed groups.
Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said 408,000 security personnel, supported by aircraft, ships, drones, anti-drone systems and armoured vehicles, have been deployed to ensure peaceful voting. He added that if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two contenders will be held on June 21.
