Guerrilla fighters battling along the Colombian-Venezuelan border are harassing civilians amid the government's lack of protection, leaving them vulnerable to killings, kidnappings, and displacement, says Human Rights Watch (HRW). "The state has effectively surrendered one of its most essential functions: providing and administering justice in a territory," says HRW Director for the Americas Juanita Goebertus during a presser in Bogota. Since January 16, the war for control of the Catatumbo region (northeast) between the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group and the 33rd Front of FARC dissidents has resulted in more than 70 deaths and forced 55,000 people to flee their homes. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES