Colombia: Three people kidnapped in Catatumbo April 2

Event

On Monday, April 1, suspected members of the ELN guerrilla group (Ejército de Liberación Nacional)  kidnapped three people in the town of Teorama, located in the Catatumbo area of Norte de Santander province. Among the victims was a former mayoral candidate in the town. The whereabouts of the three victims remain unknown.

Context

Catatumbo experiences frequent violence due to a turf war between the EPL (also known as Los Pelusos) - considered by the Colombian government to be a narco-terrorist organization - and the ELN for control of the region, an area of coca cultivation previously controlled by the now-demobilized FARC guerrilla group.

Catatumbo is located in the northeast of Norte de Santander along the Venezuelan border and comprises the following 11 municipalities: Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, Ocaña, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama, and Tibú.

Advice

Due to the presence of a number of armed groups, some governments advise their nationals against travel to various parts of the country, including parts of Norte de Santander.