San Francisco Frontiers - 39 dead in Colombia guerilla violence, govt suspends peace talks

President Gustavo Petro paused already-spluttering peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN), accusing them of "war crimes" during a fresh wave of unrest.

In two separate incidents, ELN fighters targeted a rival leftist group and a powerful paramilitary criminal gang -- destroying hopes that the group will voluntarily lay down arms.

In North Santander department, at least 30 people were killed and 20 injured when ELN fighters targeted dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) across several villages and farms.

In nearby Bolivar department, nine people died in violence involving ELN fighters and the Clan del Golfo, a rightwing paramilitary force turned trafficking gang.

Officials in North Santander spoke of ELN gunmen going "house to house" in search of people believed to be linked to the FARC dissidents.

Coca grower Jose del Carmen Abril told AFP guerillas "came to my house four times yesterday looking for me."

They later issued an ultimatum to his community that "they had to hand me over dead," he said, after being evacuated from the area by the army.

William Villamizar, governor of the department, said the violence began on Thursday and was caused by a "territorial dispute" linked to the cocaine trade.

For decades, armed groups have fought over control of ultra-lucrative coca plantations that dot the Colombia-Venezuela border region and which fuel the world's cocaine habit.

Public Defender Iris Marin said preliminary reports indicated that "dozens" of families had been displaced by the violence and more than 20 people were missing.

Giovanny Sanguino said two of his friends and their nine-month-old son were among the dead.

"To take the life of an entire family is atrocious. The people who committed this have no feelings," he told AFP.

The thousands-strong ELN is one of the biggest armed groups still active in Colombia.

While claiming to be driven by leftist and nationalist ideology, the group is deeply involved in the drug trade and has become one of the region's most powerful organized crime groups.

- 'Total Peace' -

On Friday, army troops deployed to the region, taking some of the wounded out in helicopters and trying to reimpose some semblance of order.

The violence is a serious security challenge for Colombia's armed forces, who struggle to control the mountainous and jungle-cloaked nation that is home to a plethora of armed guerillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug cartels.

It is also a challenge for Petro, Colombia's first-ever leftist president.

He has tied his political fate to a policy of "Total Peace," launching talks with violent armed groups that are despised by many Colombians.

"We are suspending dialogue with this group because the ELN shows no willingness to make peace," Petro said.

Talks with the ELN broke down for several months last year after the group launched a deadly attack on a military base.

Elizabeth Dickinson, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said this bout of violence was no ordinary clash between armed groups.

The ELN seemed to have decided that controlling territory and the unity of their organization were more important than peace talks, she said.

"This is not a one-off, it's ongoing, it's a military campaign," she said. "They seem to be seeking to create a new round of conflict."

The ELN's ties with Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro are likely to complicate matters.

Many Latin American nations, including Colombia, have refused to recognize Maduro's claim to have won a recent election, which many see as rigged.

"Venezuela is an existential ally for the ELN," said Dickinson, and Caracas is "not happy with Colombia's diplomatic stance."

P.Adams--SFF