A baby girl born in Tibu, Colombia, on 11 February was just five days old when her family fled violence, joining over 55,000 displaced by escalating conflict. FARC dissidents and the National Liberation Army (ELN) have clashed in Catatumbo since January, forcing families to abandon homes amid kidnappings and attacks. The UN calls it Colombia’s largest mass displacement from a single event. In Cucuta, 120 km away, displaced families face uncertainty. Aid efforts struggle with limited resources as shelters and local hotels fill up. Farmers have left crops and livestock, worsening food shortages. Meanwhile, the violence exposes flaws in president Gustavo Petro’s ‘total peace’ policy, as negotiations with rebel groups repeatedly collapse. The state’s slow response to building infrastructure and curbing the coca trade has fuelled instability, leaving thousands to wonder when they can return home.