Some 352 people were murdered in Arauca in 2022 as a consequence of combat between the ELN and dissidents.
At least 11 fighters have been killed during clashes in northeast Colombia between dissident former members of the now-demobilised FARC guerrilla movement and National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, the army said.
The fighting over territorial control in Puerto Rondon municipality in Arauca province, near the border with Venezuela, began on Tuesday, the national army said on Thursday.
Soldiers were in the area to restore order and allow residents to return to normal activities, it added in a statement.
President Gustavo Petro has pledged to end the country's nearly six-decade conflict between the government, rebels and crime gangs founded by former paramilitaries, which has killed at least 450,000 people.
READ MORE: FARC dissident group announces temporary truce in Colombia
Hundreds dead or displaced
His government is holding peace talks with the ELN and has declared a bilateral ceasefire with dissidents who reject a 2016 peace deal signed by the FARC.
Confrontations between armed groups competing for territory are not uncommon in Arauca, where past incidents left hundreds dead or displaced, or in neighbouring Venezuela, where the groups also operate.
Some 352 people were murdered in Arauca in 2022, according to the human rights ombudsman's office, many as a consequence of combat between the ELN and dissidents.
READ MORE: Colombia suspends truce with ELN armed group
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