International

Second cycle of peace talks between Colombian Government and ELN closes

Photo: EFE

March 10 |

The delegations of the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) closed this Friday the second cycle of dialogues for the search for peace, which took place in Mexico, during a ceremony in which the Colombian Vice President, Francia Márquez, participated.

The parties informed the public that they agreed on a new agenda for Peace in Colombia (Mexico Agreement), as well as agreements on the initial elements for the participation of society and, finally, on initial elements for the ceasefire between the Government and the ELN.

They then proceeded to the signing of the Mexico Agreement, a step which corresponded to the chief negotiators of the Government delegation, Otty Patiño, and the ELN, Pablo Beltrán.

After the signing of the agreement, Beltrán emphasized that the search for peace was fed by the will for change of the majorities and the youth, as evidenced during the national strike of 2021.

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He pointed out that the dialogue agenda addressed between the parties is committed to the interests of the millions of victims of the armed conflict and the popular majorities. He urged everyone to seek a lasting peace and to participate in the national effort to have a country in which exile caused by political persecution and economic hardship ceases.

He expressed the ELN’s commitment to help overcome the armed conflict and contribute to the transformations of society, an effort in which he invited to empower women and listen to all victims to contribute to reconciliation.

For his part, Patiño pledged that the population, with its participation and initiative, will give the necessary rhythm to the peace dialogues.

He explained that for the third cycle of dialogues, the challenge will be to enter into more substantive issues, to build a pilot peace and apply it in some territory, to advance in the bilateral and national ceasefire, to achieve more inclusive participation and to strengthen the social rule of law, among other aspirations.

Regarding the third cycle, he recalled that it will take place in Havana and thanked Cuba for its unwavering support for peace in Colombia for several decades.

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Vice-President Francia Márquez also welcomed Cuba’s gesture and said that the armed conflict has destroyed everyone and, in view of that certainty, there is no other way but to assume the will for change and total peace promoted by the Government of President Gustavo Petro.

He detailed that this implies dedicating to education, health, food, water and electricity services and to create infrastructures to improve life the substantial resources that were previously dedicated to war.

He stated that the Government welcomes this new dialogue agenda to solve the armed confrontation, to advance in implementing a humanitarian attention plan and to transform the structures that led the country to believe that the solution was through arms.

She recalled that the Government undertook an agenda of transformation and development that also seeks to preserve our big house and protect the country that future generations will receive.

She called on all Colombian women, who make up 52 percent of the population, to participate in the effort to advance towards total peace and thus prevent war, violence, pain and suffering from continuing in the social and political fabric of the country.

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The Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, pointed out that the dialogues to find peace in Colombia point to hope and the future. He thanked his country for the opportunity to contribute to peace in a brotherly and dear people, united by a common cause.

International

Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds

Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.

In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.

The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.

Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.

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The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.

Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.

The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.

Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.

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International

Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient

Le pape Léon XIV s’est entretenu par téléphone ce vendredi avec le président d’Israël, Isaac Herzog, soulignant la « nécessité de rouvrir » les canaux de dialogue afin de parvenir à une « paix juste » au Moyen-Orient.

Selon un communiqué du Vatican, les deux dirigeants ont insisté sur l’importance de relancer tous les mécanismes diplomatiques pour mettre fin au conflit en cours et œuvrer en faveur d’une paix durable dans la région.

Le communiqué précise également que les discussions ont porté sur la protection des populations civiles et sur le respect du droit international et humanitaire.

Cet échange intervient dans le contexte de la Semaine sainte, cinq jours après un incident à Jérusalem, où la police israélienne avait empêché le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa de célébrer la messe du Dimanche des Rameaux au Saint-Sépulcre.

Le lendemain, le secrétaire d’État du Vatican, Pietro Parolin, avait convoqué l’ambassadeur israélien auprès du Saint-Siège, Yaron Sideman, pour exprimer le mécontentement du Vatican face à cet incident qualifié de « regrettable ».

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Cette situation avait suscité une vive réaction internationale, poussant le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à intervenir pour assurer que le cardinal pourrait accéder au lieu saint.

De son côté, Herzog a confirmé l’échange sur son compte X, indiquant que les discussions ont également porté sur des sujets régionaux, notamment la guerre en Iran et la situation au Liban.

Le pape, d’origine américaine, participe actuellement à sa première Semaine sainte depuis son élection et doit présider ce soir le chemin de croix au Vatican.

International

Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs

Despite rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, thousands of devotees in Philippines took part this year in one of the country’s most intense Holy Week traditions.

In the city of San Fernando, located in Pampanga province, dozens of bare-chested penitents with covered faces walked barefoot along dusty streets, whipping their backs with bamboo lashes as part of a ritual that can draw up to 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse reported seeing participants piercing their skin with glass shards attached to small wooden paddles to ensure bleeding during the ceremony — an act believed to atone for sins and seek divine intervention.

“I do this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia,” said a devotee identified as John David at the start of the procession.

The 49-year-old participant explained that the practice runs in his family. “My grandfather started this, then my father, and now it’s my turn. I have witnessed healing miracles over the years through this act of faith,” he said.

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Many attendees traveled for hours to witness the climax of the ritual, in which some penitents allow nails, measuring about seven centimeters, to be driven into their hands before being raised on crosses in a reenactment of crucifixion.