At least four people were killed in a violent armed attack in the northeastern Colombian town of Tibú, just one day after the area was designated a peace zone by the government.
According to local police, gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on three people along a public road.
The victims later died from their injuries in hospital. Authorities also reported a separate murder nearby, and an unidentified body was found in a rural part of Tibú.
The killings occurred in a region recently declared a peace zone by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
The initiative aimed to reduce violence in the municipality of Tibú, located in the troubled Catatumbo region, by negotiating with members of the 33rd Front—a dissident faction of the former FARC rebels.
This group has been under siege from rival guerrilla forces, particularly the National Liberation Army (ELN), which launched a deadly offensive against them earlier this year.
Catatumbo is one of Colombia’s most volatile regions, known for armed conflict and its status as the country’s largest producer of coca crops, according to the United Nations.
In January, over 70 people were killed and more than 55,000 displaced due to violent clashes between the ELN and the 33rd Front. Fearing for their lives, dozens of rebels surrendered to Colombian authorities during that time.
President Petro, who took office in 2022, has been pushing a national strategy of total peace, attempting to broker agreements with various armed factions to end the decades-long conflict in Colombia.
Despite these efforts, the violence in Catatumbo remains a major challenge, fueled by competition over territory, drug production, and shifting alliances among rebel groups.
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