Venezuela’s armed forces are reported to have bombed a camp of Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas in Apure state near the Colombian border, killing at least nine people, according to a human rights group and a local activist.
The NGO Fundaredes told AFP that one of its coordinators saw nine bodies after the strike on Friday in the Buena Vista del Meta area, which borders Colombia’s Vichada department, and shared video showing bodies, felled trees and the ruins of what appeared to be a camp, DW reported.
Fundaredes director Javier Tarazona called it “the first bombing by Venezuela against the ELN”. The group and military analyst Rocío San Miguel said residents reported about ten more dead, and Fundaredes’ regional coordinator said an unknown number of wounded had crossed into Colombia.
Neither the Venezuelan nor the Colombian government had confirmed the operation as of Sunday, and the death toll has not been independently verified.
Bogotá has long accused Caracas of sheltering armed groups along the 2,219-kilometre border. Venezuela’s government has aligned more closely with Washington since the US operation that captured Nicolás Maduro in January, while Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella is pressing a US-backed offensive against drug-financed armed groups.
Sources: DW Español, El Tiempo
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