Six Colombian soldiers killed in clashes with rebels

Six soldiers were killed in rural Colombia on Thursday after they were caught in a minefield during clashes with rebels, military officials said AFP.

According to the military, the group “entered an area prepared with explosives” during fighting with members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Central General Staff (EMC) in the northern province of Valdivia.

Both groups are made up of rebels who rejected Colombia’s historic 2016 peace agreement that demobilized the FARC.

Four soldiers died instantly, two others later succumbed to their injuries. Another four were injured.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro told X that the death of the soldiers made him sad.

“Other young men were killed in the war of greed. My deepest condolences go out to the families of these decent Colombians,” Petro said.

According to a report published on Wednesday by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 117 people will fall victim to anti-personnel mines in Colombia in 2024.

The Colombian government has been in on-and-off talks since 2022 with the Marxist ELN, which is responsible for the kidnapping of the Liverpool footballer’s father last October. Luis Diaz.

In October 2023, talks began with FARC’s main dissident group, the EMC, which suffered ceasefire violations and a major split within the group in April, as a result of which half of its fighters abandoned peace talks.

Human rights groups accuse the guerrillas in Colombia of abusing the various ceasefires to expand their influence by conquering more territory and recruiting new members.