Description: Colombian military and holdouts from the FARC guerilla group have clashed in the Catatumbo region leaving one police officer dead and several wounded. The military was conducting the so – called stabilization operations on behalf of the Colombian government when they were engaged by dissidents from the holdouts of FARC. The trilateral conflict also involves the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group which fights over regional prevalence of the key region for the production and transportation of cocaine. The conflict so far has caused the migration of more than 50,000 people and left up to 100 dead.
Impact: The Colombian government has apparent issues in countering the rebel movement and the armed fighting for dominance over the eastern parts of the country. The conflict between FARC and the ELN could easily spiral out of control as Colombian President Gustavo Petro also faces political pressure and a vote of confidence from its own government. Colombia also faces significant problems with corruption as plenty members of the security forces are collaborating with the rebel forces in undermining the government’s efforts to subdue the violence in the region. With no evident resolution in sight, the Colombian government should seek for support from regional and neighboring countries. The conflict could see the region significantly destabilizing as Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador and Haiti are also facing similar crisis on their respective turfs.