At least 20 Colombian fighters from rival rebel factions were killed in weekend clashes over control of a strategic jungle area for drug trafficking, military sources and the human rights ombudsman office reported on Monday.

The death toll from attacks by a rebel group in Colombia's Catatumbo region has risen to 60, the country's human rights office has said. Rival factions have been vying for control of the cocaine trade in the region - which sits near the border with Venezuela - for years.

The unusually deadly violence delivers a devastating blow to the “total peace” program of the country’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro.