BOGOTA, May 5, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - At least four people were killed in a town in northeastern Colombia declared a "peace zone" for guerrillas the day before, authorities announced.

Colombia is struggling with its worst unrest in a decade involving spasms of violence in several parts of the country.

President Gustavo Petro announced the creation of a "peace zone" on Saturday encompassing the municipality of Tibu, in the Catatumbo region, for the Frente 33, a dissident group of the now-demobilized FARC, who were fighting with their rivals the National Liberation Army (ELN).

On Sunday around 6:00 pm (2300 GMT), "armed individuals on motorcycles" shot three people on a public road, local police said in a statement sent to AFP by the government of the Norte de Santander department.

The victims succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.

Police reported a separate murder nearby, without providing further details.

Authorities also discovered a body in a rural area of Tibu, without making any connection at this stage.

The ELN launched a major offensive in January against the Frente 33 to take control of Catatumbo, a region with the largest concentration of coca crops, according to the UN.

The clashes left more than 70 dead and 55,000 displaced.

Dozens of Frente 33 members surrendered to the authorities to avoid being killed by the ELN.

Since taking office in 2022, President Petro has been trying to implement a policy of "Total Peace" with the guerrillas, whose fighting against regular and paramilitary forces has rocked the country for more than 50 years.

But with a year and a half left in his term, little progress has been made.