Communities flee clashes in western Colombia

At least 900 people from seven communities in western Colombia fled clashes between local criminal organizations and the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country's second-largest guerrilla group, the UN Information Center in Colombia said Monday.

Some 900 people in Alto Baudo, Choco Department, have been displaced because of the clashes between "Clan Usaga," one of the key criminal gangs in Colombia, and ELN guerrillas, as both organizations were trying to expand armed presence in the area, said local ombudsman Jorge Calero.

The vast jungle of Choco is a strategic point for criminal gangs to conduct illegal drug trafficking to Central America.

Calero in August alerted the authorities with the risk of massive displacement, but did not receive further support from the central government. Endi