Tag Archives: Colombia

The Colombian government’s chief negotiator on Tuesday rebuffed accusations from the leaders of protests that President Ivan Duque’s administration was not committed to talks, saying it was listening to people’s frustrations but would not allow violence. Last week, a senior protest leader warned that demonstrations – which have been rumbling …

A helicopter carrying President Duque was shot near the Venezuela border on Friday.

A helicopter carrying Colombia’s President Ivan Duque and others was struck by multiple bullets in an attack on Friday, he said in a video message.

A car bomb explosion at a military base in the Colombian border city of Cucuta injured 36 people on Tuesday, the defense minister said, casting blame for the attack on leftist rebels. The explosion took place at a base used by the 30th Army Brigade in the northeastern city near …

Colombia reduced the area occupied by coca across the country by 7% in 2020, although the potential output of cocaine rose 8% to 1,228 metric tons a year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Wednesday. Last year, Colombia reduced the area occupied by coca crops …

Event’s future still uncertain as Supreme Court set to rule on two requests to block the 10-nation football tournament. Brazil’s national football team has agreed to play in the upcoming Copa America despite concerns over the late decision to stage the continental tournament in its home country. The tournament, postponed …

Australian authorities in the southeastern state of Victoria have detected a “highly transmissible” variant of the deadly coronavirus, stoking concerns of a major spike in cases. Authorities in Victoria said on Friday that the Delta COVID-19 virus variant has for the first time been detected through genomic sequencing among infections …

One of Colombia’s top five criminal groups, Los Caparros, has been dismantled with the death of its leader, Defense Minister Diego Molano said on Tuesday. Robinson Gil Tapias, known as “Flechas,” was killed in an operation by Colombia’s military and police last Thursday in the northern rural municipality of Caceres, …

More than a month since Colombians first took to the streets this year to protest against a botched tax overhaul and the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, tensions across the country are escalating rapidly with more than a dozen deaths over the weekend — and a risky new government …

Four people die in and around protest-hit Cali as talks to end month-long demonstrations remain stalled. Colombian President Ivan Duque has deployed military troops to the western province of Valle del Cauca and its capital, Cali after four people died in protests that marked a month of anti-government demonstrations. The …

Peaceful mass protests in Colombian cities, which were re-convened by the national strike committee, escalated into violent clashes with special forces and left dozens of people injured, the Red Cross said. “The Red Cross has assisted 139 people in the middle of the demonstrations in Bogota, mostly in the Yomasa …

Unions and student groups are set to march on the capital cities of Colombia’s 32 provinces on Wednesday to demand government concessions on economic support for the poor and other issues, following almost a month of widespread protests. Demonstrations that began last month have pressured the government and lawmakers into …

Panama will temporarily close its border with Colombia beginning Thursday to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and tighten security, its government said, after Colombia reopened the land and maritime crossings on the border. Panama’s government said Colombia’s decision to reopen the borders “puts at risk the significant progress” that Panama …

Members of Colombia’s national police force who are responsible for abuses or acts of violence amid ongoing protests will be punished to the full extent of the law, the head of the force said. Demonstrators and human rights groups have repeatedly accused police officers of killing civilians, excessive use of …

Union members, students, pensioners, and workers marched in anti-government protests around Colombia on Wednesday, as President Ivan Duque urged citizens to reject violence and stereotypes about demonstrators and police alike. The sometimes deadly demonstrations were initially fueled in late April by outrage at a now-canceled tax plan. But protesters’ demands …

The reported death toll from nearly two weeks of anti-government protests in Colombia rose past 40 on Tuesday, a day ahead of a planned national strike, while major cities warned of a prolonged peak in COVID-19 cases due to demonstrations. Violent protests fueled by outrage at a now-canceled tax plan …

Police target drug traffickers in Rio, migrants on the Rio Grande, protests against the government in Colombia, and the enduring impact of Covid-19: the most striking images from around the world this week.  

Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said issues raised by young demonstrators would be included in national discussions meant to curb nearly two weeks of anti-government protests, as he made a brief visit to Cali, the scene of violence over the weekend. Duque will meet later on Monday with strike leaders in …

Colombian officials say they have arrested two Florida men wanted in the United States on charges they illegally sold a bleachlike chemical as a miracle cure for the new coronavirus and other diseases. The Colombian prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that Mark and Joseph Grennon were arrested in the beach town …

Illegal armed groups are imposing strict Covid-19 quarantines in parts of Colombia where the state has a weak presence, threatening and even killing those who don’t comply, Human Rights Watch warned on Wednesday. At least nine people have been assassinated in recent months for either refusing to abide by the …