As deadly violence caused by territorial conflict forces tens of thousands to evacuate northeastern Colombia, the Colombian government reached out to Venezuela in hopes of forming an alliance to quell the violence on the Venezuelan border.

Inhabitants of the Colombian town of Tibu, on the northern border with Venezuela, have fled following a wave of violence that has left at least 80 people dead in clashes between two armed groups in the last week.

Colombia called on neighboring Venezuela Thursday to help tackle guerrillas blamed for a week of bloody violence that has displaced 40,000 people in the lawless border region.

The Colombian border village of Tres Bocas has become a ghost town as residents flee to neighboring Venezuela to escape a new wave of violence that has left at least 80 people dead and displaced thousands in Colombia’s Catatumbo region.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Thursday that he has been in contact with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to implement an action plan to prevent armed groups from crossing the border, following a week of violent clashes that authorities estimate have left between 60 and 80 dead.

At least 80 people have been killed and more than 18,000 forced to leave their homes in Colombia amid escalating violence between rebel groups. View on euronews

More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

More than 8,000 civilians fled the violence, with many seeking shelter in government facilities or hiding in the mountains.

At least 80 people are dead and more than 18,000 have been forced to flee their homes in Colombia, officials say, amid fierce clashes between two rival armed groups on the border with Venezuela.

Qatar Airways becomes the second Middle Eastern carrier to serve Colombia, following Emirates’ one-stop daily service to Bogotá via Miami, launched in June 2024. The airline will also be the first from the Middle East to serve Venezuela.

Qatar Airways has announced its latest expansion into the Americas with the launch of two new weekly flights on Wednesdays and Sundays to Colombia and Venezuela, starting