Colombian rebels kill nine soldiers in blow to peace talks
Al JazeeraPreliminary military assessment has identified the left-wing ELN as responsible for the attack in a northern province. An attack by the Colombian rebel group known as the National Liberation Army has allegedly killed nine government soldiers, in a blow to the government’s efforts to negotiate a truce with armed groups and curb violence in the country. Colombia’s internal conflict stretches back nearly six decades, with government forces, right-wing paramilitaries, organised criminal groups and left-wing rebel groups clashing for control of territory. In 2016, a historic peace deal brought an end to fighting between the government and the country’s largest left-wing rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. However, violence and displacement has continued to plague civilians in parts of the country where armed groups and criminal organisations fight over control of lucrative resources like drug routes and illegal mining operations.