At least 80 people are dead and more than 18,000 have been forced to flee their homes in Colombia, officials say, amid fierce clashes between two rival armed groups on the border with Venezuela.

More than 8,000 civilians fled the violence, with many seeking shelter in government facilities or hiding in the mountains.

The unusually deadly violence delivers a devastating blow to the “total peace” program of the country’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro.

Colombia declared a state of emergency and launched a military offensive against left-wing guerrillas following violence that claimed over 100 lives, threatening the peace process. The unrest

Over 100 people have been killed in an outbreak of guerrilla violence in Colombia, predominantly along the Venezuelan border, where thousands of people have been displaced by the worst fighting in years.

More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government's failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

At least 80 people were killed in northeast Colombia following failed attempts at peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

Terrified residents carrying backpacks and belongings on overladen motorcycles, boats, or crammed onto the backs of open trucks, fled the region over the weekend.

The criminal war in northeast Colombia has escalated, as intense fighting between two Colombian guerrilla groups erupted in the Catatumbo region, a key cocaine production hub and criminal hotspot along the Venezuelan border.

China is dominating the clean energy race, Brazil will be steering global climate negotiations, Denmark has approved a world-first tax on livestock emissions and Colombia is saying farewell to fossil fuels.

The US initially supported Panama’s independence from Colombia to secure the rights to build the canal. The US accounts for about 75% of the canal’s traffic, while China ranks second with 21%