More than 3,000 people fled to Colombia to escape fighting that broke out over the weekend in Venezuela between its military and suspected FARC dissidents, officials in Bogota said Wednesday. Venezuela's military clashed with the group near the border with Colombia on Sunday, resulting in the death of two military personnel and the capture of 32 Colombian "insurgents," according to Venezuela's Armed Forces. Lucas Gomez, Colombia's presidential delegate for border control, reported that since then, the town of Arauquita had witnessed "a massive displacement of people fleeing... the bombardments taking place on the other side of the border." "On Monday we already had around one thousand people and yesterday that increased and reached a figure of 3,100," he told Blu Radio. However that number is likely to rise further, Gomez said, after major clashes Tuesday night "between what was likely a battalion of the Venezuelan Guard and FARC dissidents." Bogota has long accused Venezuela of shielding members of Colombian armed rebel groups FARC and ELN on its soil, a charge Venezuelan President Victor Maduro denies. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a historic peace agreement in 2016 to end a half century of armed conflict. But some guerrilla fighters refused to join the peace process and have continued their struggle, while also mixing with and battling drug-traffickers in lawless areas of Colombia, including close to the Venezuelan border. The Ombudsman's Office of Colombia said there were at least 858 children, 52 pregnant women and 134 people over 60 among the refugees. Authorities have prepared sports halls and 500 tents to provide shelter for the refugees but called on the international community for help in finding them temporary homes. lv/vel/dga/bc/bfm