International

Peru: social movements demand president Dina Boluarte’s resignation and closure of Congress

Photo: Federación Regional de Rondas Campesinas Cajamarca

February 23 |

Rondo delegations from the Cajamarca region and representatives of other grassroots social organizations in the northern and eastern macro-region of Peru will participate starting this Friday in the XIV Congress of the Regional Federation of Peasant and Indigenous Patrols of Cajamarca, which will demand the departure from the Government of President-designate Dina Boluarte and the closure of the Congress.

In a message disseminated through the social networks, a leader of the Rondas from the province of Jaen, Idelso Hernandez Llamo, said that the meeting, which will conclude on February 25, will become a front of struggle against the right-wing coup and the neoliberal continuity.

The bases will also demand the advancement of the general elections for 2023, the holding of a referendum from which a constituent assembly will be born to provide the country with a new Magna Carta, representative of the historical aspirations of the great majorities, and that those responsible for the assassinations of several dozens of Peruvians during the protests against Boluarte be brought to justice.

Hernandez Llamo explained that the event had been planned months ago, only that now it will coincide with “the national political crisis, where we are being battered by a civic-military dictatorship”, he said.

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He said that for this reason, the first point will be an analysis of the current Peruvian situation and the determination of the next measures of regional and national struggle.

Among other issues, the expansion of mining companies, whose lucrative activity is a frequent cause of protests due to the theft of national wealth, environmental damage and disrespect for the space of the communities, will also be addressed.

He added that the agreements of the Congress will be presented before an assembly of organizations that will meet next March 4 in the province of Piura (north), a space to reach a consensus on actions of struggle of national character.

He pointed out that jurists will participate in the Congress to transmit to the bases knowledge about the Constituent Assembly and to promote the call for a referendum to make it concrete.

He expressed that the peasants and indigenous people know very well “the damages and poverty that this Constitution, drafted in dictatorship, has brought us”, he said in reference to the current Fundamental Law, of neoliberal cut and promulgated in 1993, during the mandate of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

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The rondero Congress was preceded by the congresses held in each province of Cajamarca and the election of their respective boards of directors, attended by the current president of the rondas in the region, Aladino Fernández Rubio, and other guests.

International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.