At least 80 people have been killed in the collapse of peace talks in northeastern Colombia, the official said.

At the end of the week, more than 80 people were killed in the north-east of the country, as attempts by the Colombian government to negotiate peace with the National Liberation Army failed.

William Villamizar, the governor of northern Santander, said at least 20 people were injured in the violence that the Colombian army forced thousands to flee on Sunday.

Colombia’s president says the country will cut diplomatic ties with Israel over the Gaza war.

The government’s ombudsman agency announced late Saturday that community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who wanted to sign a peace agreement were among the victims.

Officials said the attacks took place in several towns in the Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, where at least three people who were part of peace talks were taken hostage.

Thousands of people are fleeing the area, some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help in government shelters.

“We were caught in the crossfire,” said Juan Gutierrez, who fled with his family to a makeshift shelter in Tibu after being forced to leave behind their animals and possessions. “We didn’t have time to grab our things. . . . I hope the government will remember us. . . . We are helpless here.”

The Colombian army rescued dozens of people on Sunday, including a family and their pet dog, whose owner held a pack of cold water to his chest to keep him cool as they were taken out by helicopter.

Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez traveled to the northeastern city of Cucuta on Sunday and held several security meetings to urge the disbandment of the armed forces.

“The priority is to save lives and ensure the safety of the community,” he said. We have deployed our troops across the region.

Authorities are preparing to send 10 tons of food and hygiene supplies to the communities of Okana and Tibu, where most of the 5,000 people have fled the attack.

“Catatumbo needs help,” Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday. “Men, girls, young men, teenagers, entire families are riding trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, doing everything they can on foot to avoid being victims of this collision.”

The attack comes after Colombia broke off peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or LN, on Friday, the second time in less than a year.

The Colombian government called on the ELN to stop all attacks and for authorities to enter the region and provide humanitarian aid.

“Displacement is killing us in the region,” said José Trinidad, a municipal official in the city of Convenience, in the northern region of Santander. We fear that the crisis will worsen.

Trinidad called on rebel groups to sit down and work out a new deal “so that we, the civilians, do not accept the consequences that we are now facing.”

After signing a peace deal with the Colombian government in 2016, the LN has been clashing with members of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrilla group in Catatumbo. The two are fighting for control of a strategic border area with coca leaf plantations.

In a statement on Saturday, the LN warned former FARC members that “if they continue to attack the people…there is no other way out but armed struggle.” The LN accused former FARC rebels of carrying out several killings in the area, including the killing of a couple and a 9-month-old baby on January 15.

Click here to access the FOX NEWS app

Army chief General Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaría said Saturday that authorities are strengthening the humanitarian corridor between Tibu and Cucuta to allow the safe passage of those forced to flee their homes. Special urban troops have also been deployed to municipal capitals “where there are dangers and a lot of fear,” he said.

The LN has tried five times to negotiate a peace deal with President Gustavo Petro’s administration, with talks failing after violence. The LN’s demands include recognition as a political rebel organization, which critics say is dangerous.