Interesting Global News

Colombia vowed "war" against left-wing guerrillas Monday, as security forces rushed to contain a wave of violence that has killed more than 100 people and threatens to derail the country's troubled peace process.

In just five days, violence has been reported in three different Colombian departments -- from the remote Amazon jungle to the rugged border with Venezuela, where fighting has displaced 11,000 people.

President Gustavo Petro, who until now has staked his political fortunes on a strategy of negotiations and engagement, signalled a much tougher approach in the face of the mounting crisis.

On Monday he issued a defiant warning to leaders of the National Liberation Army -- or ELN -- which is said to have been behind border region attacks on rival leftist groups, killing 80 people.

The ELN, Petro said, had "chosen the path of war, and war they will have".

Some 5,000 troops are already being sent to the border area, hoping to contain some of the worst violence Colombia has seen in years.

The country is plagued by an abundance of leftwing, rightwing and apolitical armed groups and cartels that vie for control of the lucrative cocaine trade.

The Ombudsman's Office reported ELN rebels going from "house to house," killing people suspected of ties to the FARC dissidents.