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☆ Searching for the disappeared must be priority at Colombia peace talks -official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Julia Symmes Cobb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At least 104,600 people have been forcibly disappeared in connection with Colombia's conflict between leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries, criminal groups and the government. The Search Unit for Disappeared People was created under a 2016 peace deal with the FARC rebels to find and identify missing people or their remains and give suffering families answers. Forero added she hopes the unit will be able to tally many more recoveries of remains and identifications during her tenure. The disappeared unit is the least well-known of the justice mechanisms created by the 2016 accord, which also include the truth commission and a tribunal tasked with trying war crimes. The country's truth commission estimated the number of disappeared could be as high as 210,000.

☆ FARC dissident group says to start peace talks with Colombian government in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Julia Symmes Cobb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, April 16 (Reuters) - Dissident FARC rebels who rejected a landmark peace agreement in 2016 said on Sunday they are ready to set up a dialogue with the government on May 16 to begin peace talks to bring their group, the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), out of the armed conflict. The group, made up of 3,530 people - 2,180 combatants and 1,350 auxiliaries - has maintained a bilateral ceasefire with the Colombian government since the beginning of the year. The other dissident FARC faction is the Segunda Marquetalia, which in August 2019 returned to the armed struggle, claiming that the state failed to comply with the peace agreement. Petro's government reestablished peace talks with the rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the two parties seek to advance towards a bilateral ceasefire agreement in a third round of talks to begin soon in Cuba. Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb, Additional reporting by Nelson Bocanegra Editing by Drazen Jorgic and Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Colombia prosecutor suspends warrant for FARC dissidents in step toward talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Estado Mayor Central armed group was founded by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels who did not join that group's demobilization and conversion to a legal political party. The suspension will allow discussions to take place between the dissidents and government officials, Petro said on Twitter - a first step to beginning formal talks. The government is already in peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels and the two sides have said they are progressing toward a bilateral ceasefire deal. The country's top peace official told Reuters last month the government expects talks with the Estado Mayor and Segunda Marquetalia, another FARC dissident group, within weeks. The attorney general said in January he would not drop extradition warrants for drug-trafficking bosses, with whom Petro wants to agree surrender deals.

☆ Colombia, ELN rebels have made first steps toward ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Henry RomeroBOGOTA, March 10 (Reuters) - Colombia's government and the left-wing ELN guerrilla group have taken the first steps toward a bilateral, temporary ceasefire, the heads of their delegations at peace talks said on Friday, as they closed their second cycle of negotiations in Mexico City. The ELN is Colombia's oldest remaining rebel group, and the talks are the cornerstone of efforts by leftist President Gustavo Petro - himself once a member of the now-demobilized M-19 insurgents - to bring "total peace" to Colombia. "We took the first steps to firm up a bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire which will create better conditions for Colombians' mobilization and participation in the peace process," said the ELN's Pablo Beltran. On New Year's Eve, Petro announced a ceasefire, but days later the ELN said it had not agreed to the measure. The ELN, founded in 1964 by radical Catholic priests, has some 2,500 combatants and is accused of financing itself through drug trafficking, illegal mining and kidnapping.

☆ Colombia, Ecuador working to prevent Indigenous abuse by armed groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, March 7 (Reuters) - The human rights ombudsmen of Colombia and Ecuador on Tuesday launched a joint alert system to prevent abuses by illegal armed groups from affecting Awa Indigenous communities that live along the countries' shared border. Some 29,000 Indigenous Awa people live along the border and are subject to killings, forced displacement, land mines and recruitment of minors, among other ills, by armed groups, Colombia's ombudsman said. "The possibility of carrying out their operations along a porous border - with gaps in state presence - favors the interests of illegal groups," Colombia's Ombudsman Carlos Camargo said. Armed groups hide arms and combatants on the Ecuadorean side of the border, Camargo added. Camargo called on the armed groups to stop attacks on Indigenous communities and accede to policies of total peace pushed by the government of Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro.

☆ Two dead, dozens of police held hostage in Colombia in protest against oil company
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The attorney general's office should investigate the killings, while the Red Cross should attend to those being held hostage, he said. The office of human rights ombudsman Carlos Camargo confirmed in a statement a policeman and a civilian had been killed. Officials from Camargo's office were accompanying the police officers and Emerald employees who were being held, the office said on Twitter. Protests in areas close to oil and mining projects regularly occur in Colombia as communities push for companies to build infrastructure including roads and schools. Reuters could not immediately reach Emerald Energy, a subsidiary of China's state-owned company Sinochem, for comment.

☆ Colombia unveils four-year development plan worth nearly $250 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Monday presented a $247.1 billion four-year development plan to the country's lawmakers, laying out details of its projected social and economic investments. Development plans are generally financed with funds from annual budgets and royalties from oil and mining projects, as well as resources from municipalities and provinces across the country. Petro, Colombia's first leftist leader, has pledged to seek peace or surrender deals with armed groups, reduce poverty, improve access to education and health and protect the environment. Petro says he wants to end Colombia's internal armed conflict, which has run for almost six decades, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. Petro has also offered criminal gangs with ties to drug trafficking the chance to surrender in return for more lenient sentences.

☆ Violence in Colombia falls in first month of ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Colombia's ceasefire with four armed groups has led to significant reductions in violence during its first month, Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said on Monday, with fewer murders and attacks on armed forces. Homicides in provinces heavily affected by conflict and where one or more of the groups participating in the ceasefire are active fell by up to 68%, he said, without giving absolute figures. The Pacific province of Choco saw the 68% reduction, followed closely by Arauca, on the Venezuelan border, which saw murders fall by 66%. In Cordoba homicides were down 52%, while in Magdalena they fell 37%, Prada said. Prada did not give figures for members of illegal armed groups killed this month, but the country's navy said earlier on Monday at least nine rebels from the ELN died in fighting last weekend close to Buenaventura.

☆ Colombia cocaine seizures break record in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Colombia seized more cocaine in 2022 than any other year on record, the South American country's defense ministry reported Saturday. Security forces seized 671 tonnes of the drug last year, surpassing the 2021 total by about 1.7 tonnes. The data showed that Narino, Bolivar and Valle del Cauca provinces were the site of the most seizures last year. The guerilla group National Liberation Army, dissidents from the FARC rebel group and criminal gangs made up of former right-wing paramilitaries have all been implicated in drug trafficking. Cocaine seizures were 505 tonnes in 2020 and 428 tonnes in 2019.

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez ViloriaCARACAS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group said on Saturday they will resume peace talks in Mexico next month, overcoming a recent impasse after the government recently declared and then called off a bilateral ceasefire. There was a first cycle of talks last year in Caracas to end the guerrillas' part in nearly six decades of war. The about-face on the ceasefire came after ELN said it had not agreed to it. "In said cycle, the issue of society's participation in peace building will be addressed. Colombia and the ELN said they would jointly examine progress in implementing agreements reached during the first cycle of talks and agreed to keep communication channels open even when not at the negotiating table.

☆ Colombia, ELN rebels likely to hold emergency meeting in Caracas-negotiator
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group could hold an emergency meeting in Caracas as early as this week, the head of the government negotiating team said on Tuesday. Colombia declared and then called off a bilateral ceasefire with the group last week after the ELN said it had not agreed to the move. But Mexico was not yet ready to host, Otty Patino, the head of the government's negotiating team told Blu Radio and the two sides could hold a prior meeting back in Caracas this week or next. A meeting in Caracas "is not a cycle but an emergency meeting" he added. Petro, who took office last year, has pledged to seek peace agreements or surrender deals with armed groups of all stripes.

☆ Colombia announces ceasefire with five illegal armed groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist and former guerrilla, announced late on Saturday a January ceasefire with five illegal armed groups to support peace talks. Petro has pledged to end the Andean nation's internal conflict, which has run for almost six decades and left at least 450,000 dead between 1985 and 2018. "The bilateral ceasefire obliges the armed organizations and the state to respect it. Among the groups are leftist guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN) as well as dissident groups run by former members of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Segunda Marquetalia and Estado Mayor Central. The government added that it would issue a specific decree for each of the organizations, which will determine the durations and conditions of the ceasefire.

☆ Colombia's oil theft soars, leaving trail of environmental harm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Oliver Griffin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Reuters accompanied a police unit tasked with tackling oil theft in September to two sites near Tumaco, a Pacific port in southwest Colombia that is the terminal for the country's Transandino oil pipeline. The animals, the trees - everything is totally burned," said Colonel Johan Pena, commander of the police unit charged with tackling oil theft in Narino, a province bordering Ecuador that is known for cocaine production. Reuters approached more than a dozen environmental groups, rights advocates, government agencies and international organizations who either said they had no detailed information on the extent of the environmental damage in Colombia from oil theft or did not respond to questions. Oil spills on land smother soil pore spaces, restricting microorganisms' access to oxygen, said Martha Daza, a professor at Cali-based university Universidad del Valle's school of engineering of natural resources and the environment. Regional health authorities in Narino did not immediately respond to questions about the health impact of oil spills.

☆ Colombia ELN leftist guerrilla group declares Christmas ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez ViloriaBOGOTA, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Colombian leftist guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN) on Monday declared a nine-day unilateral ceasefire over the Christmas period, as part of a bid to support peace talks with the Andean country's government, which urged other illegal armed groups to follow suit. Colombia's government and the ELN last week completed the first cycle of peace talks between the two parties in Venezuela's capital Caracas. The unilateral ceasefire will only apply to Colombia's military and police, the ELN said in a recorded statement, adding it reserves the right to defend itself if attacked. Following the announcement, Colombia's government called on other armed groups also to call a ceasefire. Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra and Oliver Griffin Writing by Oliver Griffin Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: What the world's nature-rich nations want out of a global conservation deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoMONTREAL, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Tangled expanses of Amazon rainforest, high mountains of the Himalayas, and cloud-shrouded forests are just some of the unique landscapes contained within the world's most nature-rich nations. Governments are trying to work out a new global agreement to guide conservation and wildlife protection through 2030 at a U.N. summit in Montreal this week. Of the nearly 200 countries assembled, five are considered to be among the world's most biodiverse nations — measured in the number of unique species. That's more than a third of all the world’s flowering plants, and more than half of all bird and mammal species on Earth. Here's what some of the world's most nature-rich nations want to happen at the talks.

☆ Viktor Bout: The Russian arms dealer swapped for Brittney Griner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Eliza Mackintosh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Brittney Griner’s freedom ultimately hinged on the release of a convicted Russian arms dealer whose life story inspired a Hollywood film. On Thursday, a source told CNN that the US basketball star had been released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” by his accuser. Viktor Bout is pictured in a temporary cell ahead of a hearing at a court in Bangkok in August 2010. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images“His early days are a mystery,” Douglas Farah, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center who co-authored a book on Bout, told CNN in 2010. He said that Bout graduated from the Military Institute on Foreign Languages, a well-known feeder school for Russian military intelligence.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is escorted by members of a special police unit after a hearing at a criminal court in Bangkok October 5, 2010. Russia got the jailed arms dealer back from the United States on Thursday after exchanging imprisoned U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for him at Abu Dhabi airport. His notoriety was such that his life helped inspire a Hollywood film, 2005’s Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, an arms dealer loosely based on Bout. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

☆ Colombia killings of social leaders, rights defenders hit new high
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita/File PhotoBOGOTA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Colombia will end the year with at least 199 killings of social leaders and human rights defenders, the highest level recorded, due to attacks by illegal armed groups in areas tied to the drug trade, the country's human rights ombudsman said on Wednesday. "There's a correlation between the increase in the killings of social leaders and human rights defenders with the increase in illicit crops in different territories and operations by illegal armed groups that dispute territorial control of drug trafficking routes," Camargo added. Some 66 leaders and rights defenders have been killed during Petro's administration so far. According to the Ombudsman's office, the provinces of Narino, Cauca, Putumayo, Antioquia and Arauca have been the most affected by violence against social leaders and human rights defenders this year. The numbers on community and human rights leader killings in Colombia vary widely depending on the source.

☆ Who is Viktor Bout, the arms dealer who could be swapped for Griner?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Russia wants the jailed arms dealer back in Moscow and is discussing a prisoner swap with the United States that could see him exchanged for Americans imprisoned in Russia including basketball star Brittney Griner. Reed was ultimately freed in return for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot jailed in the United States on drug trafficking charges. For some experts, the Russian state's continued interest in Bout, plus his skills and connections in the international arms trade, hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties. In interviews, Bout has said he attended Moscow's Military Institute of Foreign Languages, which serves as a training ground for military intelligence officers. “His case has become totemic for the Russian intelligence services, who are keen to show that they don’t abandon their own people,” Galeotti added.

LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Russia hopes it can make a prisoner swap with the United States that would include convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death", a deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying on Friday. Amid the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Russia and the United States are exploring a prisoner swap that would see imprisoned Americans including basketball star Brittney Griner return to the United States in exchange for Bout. "The Americans are showing some external activity, we are working professionally through a special channel designed for this," Ryabkov said. "Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result." The possible swap includes Griner, facing nine years behind bars in Russia after being convicted on drug charges, and Paul Whelan who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of espionage charges that he denies.

IllinoisIn Illinois, two candidates are looking to make history as the state's first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Delia Ramirez in the state's 3rd Congressional District, and Republican newcomer Catalina Lauf in the 11th Congressional District. OregonIn Oregon, two candidates are looking to become the state’s first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Andrea Salinas and Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former mayor of Happy Valley. Flores is on the ballot again in November to defend her newly won seat representing Texas’ 34th Congressional District. Among them are Jenny Garcia Sharon in the 37th Congressional District and Carmen Maria Montiel in the 18th District. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images fileSen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, made history as the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate and the first woman elected to the Senate from Nevada.

☆ Cuba shouldn't be on sponsor of terrorism list, former U.S. officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Ed Augustin | Ed Augustin Is A British Journalist Based In Havana Who Has Written For The New York Times | The Guardian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

HAVANA — Along with Iran, Syria and North Korea, Cuba is listed as a “state sponsor of terrorism” by the U.S. Department of State. Cuba has called the sponsor of terrorism designation "illegitimate and immoral," arguing that it deprives it of financing and credit sources. “‘Cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism’ was a mantra from the moment I walked into the State Department to the moment I walked out,” he said. Throughout the 1980s, Cuba shared intelligence with, trained and apparently supplied weapons to revolutionary movements fighting military dictatorships in Central America. Cuba will once again be a “guarantor state.”The Biden administration has provided no evidence that Cuba sponsors terrorism.

☆ Colombia's Petro calls on Latin America to unite against war on drugs
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidSept 20 (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro called on Latin American countries to join forces to end the war on drugs during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, has long derided the global war on drugs as a failure, even using his inauguration speech in August to call for a new international strategy to fight drug trafficking. read more"From my wounded Latin America, I demand you end the irrational war on drugs," Petro said, while calling on the wider Latin American community to unite to defeat that "which torments our body." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Oliver Griffin Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Columbia anunţă că anchetează presupusa moarte a unui lider al FARC
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-19 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Ministrul apărării Diego Molano a indicat pe Twitter că Santrich "ar fi murit" împreună cu "alţi delincvenţi" în timpul unor "ciocniri în Venezuela".El a precizat că "informaţia este în curs de verificare", dar a subliniat că, "dacă este confirmată, aceasta dovedeşte că narcocriminalii îşi găsesc refugiu în Venezuela".Potrivit revistei columbiene Semana, "surse venezuelene înalt plasate" au confirmat moartea lui Santrich în timpul luptelor "între grupuri ilegale".Înainte de a se refugia, Santrich a fost acuzat de Statele Unite de trafic de droguri. El a fost arestat în 2018 cu scopul de a fi extrădat, însă Curtea Supremă columbiană a dispus eliberarea sa în 2019. El a negat întotdeauna acuzaţiile vorbind despre un "o înscenare". Washingtonul a oferit până la 10 milioane de dolari pentru capturarea sa şi a lui Marquez.Un comunicat, semnat "A doua Marquetalia", dar a cărui veridicitate nu a fost încă stabilită, acuză Bogota, asigurând că Santrich a fost ucis într-o "ambuscadă executată de comandouri ale armatei columbiene la 17 mai" pe teritoriul venezuelean în Serrania de Perija ( la nord de Anzii Cordilieri). Relaţiile dintre cei doi vecini, opuşi ideologic, sunt foarte tensionate, notează Agerpres.

Persons: Diego Molano, Santrich, El, Nicolas Maduro, Juan Guaido Organizations: Supremă columbiană Locations: Venezuela, Statele Unite, Bogota, Anzii Cordilieri, Columbia, Venezuelei

☆ Venezuela: Opt soldaţi ucişi în lupte la frontiera cu Columbia
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-29 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Ministerul a publicat miercuri un anunţ de deces cu numele celor opt soldaţi ucişi "în acţiune" fără a oferi mai multe detalii. Luni, într-un comunicat, el a raportat "lupte violente" între armată şi grupurile respective, evocând "decese" în ambele tabere în această regiune de pradă insecurităţii şi cu o frontieră permisivă. "În cursul ciocnirilor am provocat pierderi semnificative acestor grupuri, distrugând instalaţii temporare", potrivit comunicatului în care se vorbeşte, de asemenea, despre "prizonieri" fără a da numărul lor.Autorităţile de la Caracas, care trimit regulat trupe în zonă, spun că au lansat în martie operaţiuni pentru eliberarea teritoriului naţional de orice incursiune a grupurilor armate columbiene. Venezuela acuză aceste grupuri că au plantat mine antipersonal şi că sunt în fruntea traficului de droguri.Potrivit unei surse din cadrul forţelor de securitate din Columbia, aceste "grupuri armate" sunt disidenţi ai fostei gherile columbiene Forţele Armate Revoluţionare din Columbia (FARC).Deşi majoritatea celor 13.000 de membri ai fostei gherile marxiste au depus armele, facţiuni "disidente" nu au acceptat procesul de pace semnat în 2016 în Columbia.Preşedintele Nicolas Maduro a recunoscut posibilitatea ca aceste grupuri să fie disidenţi ai FARC. De obicei, autorităţile venezuelene evită să menţioneze disidenţii FARC.

Persons: Luni, Columbia.Preşedintele Nicolas Maduro Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, Columbia, Columbia.Preşedintele

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