Colombia's President Gustavo Petro made a further outreach to Venezuela on Saturday, voicing hope the neighbors can work "together" to confront deadly guerrilla violence.

Violence between armed groups in the Catatumbo region has displaced more than 32,000 people, rights groups estimate.

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.

Petro, who is up for reelection in 2026, donned the presidential sash with the intention of bringing peace to Colombia at the negotiating table. His plans in ruins, and having failed to bring peace to the country as a diplomat, he may well end his turn attempting to bring peace as a general.

Both the ELN and FARC-EMC have long fought for control over this drug-rich area, but recent violence marks a significant escalation.

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.

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.

Colombia has launched a military offensive against leftist guerillas blamed for a week of bloody violence on the border with Venezuela, Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said Friday.

Despite overwhelming evidence of election fraud, Nicolás Maduro crowned himself president of Venezuela last week. Supporting Maduro’s opposition should be

Francisco de Miranda, considered to be the precursor of Venezuela’s independence, stitched the country’s first flag in Jacmel and set sail from the port city. A decade later, South American liberator Simón Bolívar launched his successful movement from Jacmel’s shores.

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has declared emergency powers to restore order in the coca-growing Catatumbo region amid escalating violence.

With 80 people killed and 40,000 displaced by violence wrought by the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) militia's fight with rival armed groups over drug trafficking territory in northeastern Colombia,