Colombia has suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, for second time in less than a year after blaming the rebel group for violence that has been affecting a northeastern region of the country in recent days.

At least 80 people were killed in northeast Colombia following failed attempts at peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended peace talks with the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) on Friday, after accusing the group of committing a war crime in the Catatumbo region, in the country's Norte de Santander province.

More than 80 people were killed following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army.

Violence in northeastern Colombia has left over 80 dead and thousands displaced following failed peace talks between the government and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The attacks occurred in the Catatumbo region near Venezuela's border,

It is the second time in less than a year that Colombian authorities halt peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, after blaming the rebel group for recent violence in the northeastern region of Tibu.

Colombia's Attorney General reissued arrest warrants for ELN leaders amid increased violence and displacement in the Catatumbo region. President Petro, seeking peace after decades of conflict, suspended talks following ELN attacks.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Friday the suspension of peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group following a series of deadly attacks in the Catatumbo region, in the northeast of the country.

This was the country's deadliest wave of violence since the peace accords set by President Gustavo Petro in 2016