BOGOTA, Jan 23 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Colombia's Attorney General's Office reactivated arrest warrants for 31 leaders of the nation's largest rebel group on Wednesday, following the attacks in the northeastern Catatumbo region that have left at least 80 dead and 32,000 displaced, reported Xinhua.
The violence unleashed by the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas has caused a "humanitarian tragedy", the authorities said, adding that the rebels violated the conditions for suspending their arrest, which had been put in place by the government to facilitate peace talks in 2022.
Among those wanted are the ELN's military chief Herlinto Chamorro, alias "Antonio Garcia", and the group's chief negotiator in peace talks, Pablo Beltran, it added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared a state of internal unrest on Tuesday, calling the violence one of the "most dramatic events" in the country's recent history.
He criticised the lack of information regarding the ELN's increasing strength and questioned how the group was able to move into the region without detection.
-- BERNAMA-XINHUA
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