Revolt clashes in northern Colombia... "estimated death of at least 80 people, including civilians"

Foreign media said at least 80 people, including civilians, were killed in armed conflict between rebels in northern Colombia, South America.

According to AFP news agency, Governor Wiiam Villamisar of Norte de Santander state said more than 80 people, including civilians, have been killed since the Colombian National Liberation Army and ELN launched attacks on militants in Catatumbo on the Venezuelan border on the 16th.

The governor said he feared the situation would worsen as 5,000 residents living in nearby areas took to the evacuation route as armed conflict continued.

Colombian rebel forces have been at odds for years over their control of Catatumbo, home to a coca leaf growing area.

Initially Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, has been in charge of the region, with only some of the defectors continuing their activities after the organization signed peace negotiations with the government in 2016 to turn it into an institutional party.

Meanwhile, the ELN, which has emerged as Colombia's largest rebel force after the FARC, is expanding its influence in the Katatumbo region.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has been pushing for peace negotiations with rebel forces such as the ELN as a major national task, announced that he was suspending negotiations with the ELN in the wake of the incident.