In Bogota on January 25, Colombia's Army announced that 104 members of a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), including 20 minors, have deserted the illegal armed group amid an offensive by the rival National Liberation Army (ELN) in the northeast of the South American country.
The ELN's offensive against the FARC faction, which is currently in peace negotiations with the government, started over a week ago in the Catatumbo region of the Norte de Santander department, close to the border with Venezuela.
The increase in violence led President Gustavo Petro to halt peace talks with the ELN. These negotiations with the ELN were a crucial part of the president's strategy to put an end to a 60-year-old internal conflict that has resulted in over 450,000 casualties.