International
Uribe Reacts to Mancuso’s Return: “Accused of Paramilitarism While Extraditing Them,” States Former President
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe reiterated on Wednesday that he has been accused of paramilitarism throughout his life, but pointed out that he was the one who extradited the top leaders of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) to the United States, in reference to the return of ex-leader Salvatore Mancuso to the country.
“I know I must make a greater effort to combine my defense with my task of argumentative opposition and the fight for Colombia’s future. How strange, they accuse me of being a paramilitary and yet I extradited them, and the only paramilitary who claims to have met with me is Mancuso,” Uribe said in a video posted on his social media.
Mancuso arrived in Bogotá on Tuesday from the United States, deported after serving a sentence for drug trafficking, and stated that he will comply with “the restrictive conditions” imposed by Colombian justice.
The former AUC commander arrived on a chartered flight of deportees that landed at the Military Air Transport Command (Catam) in the Colombian capital and will now have to appear before justice for dozens of crimes committed during the armed conflict.
He then entered La Picota prison in southern Bogotá and was placed at the disposal of the judge in charge of executing sentences of Justice and Peace in the Colombian capital and the magistrate of Guarantees Control in Barranquilla (north), who are the competent authorities to make decisions about his freedom, according to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP).
Dangerous Relationships
Last year, the former paramilitary leader stated during a truth-telling hearing before the JEP that the AUC supported political candidates seeking to reach the Colombian Congress in the March 2010 elections and also provided backing for the campaigns of former Presidents Uribe and Andrés Pastrana.
“In 2002, the United Self-Defense Forces directly intervened in the congressional elections on March 10, 2002, and also the presidential elections in May 2002 (won by Uribe),” Mancuso said at the time.
In response, Uribe stated that Mancuso is lying: “He never met with me. We greeted each other a few times because of my connection to Montería (capital of the department of Córdoba). We did not have conversations. During the presidential campaign, I refused to meet with him, as was publicly established, and I also publicly disavowed his support in Barrancabermeja.”
“Mancuso has made a point of accusing me, lying. I have faced everything,” he added.
Mancuso’s Criminal Life
Mancuso laid down his arms in 2006, along with the majority of the AUC members, a group responsible for most of the crimes committed during the armed conflict according to the Truth Commission.
His demobilization took place following negotiations with Uribe’s government (2002-2010), which extradited him to the United States in 2008 along with 13 other paramilitary leaders because they remained involved in drug trafficking.
In the United States, Mancuso was sentenced in 2015 to 15 years and 10 months in prison for drug trafficking.
However, in March 2020, the US judge who sentenced him considered the sentence fulfilled by validating the two years he spent in prison in Colombia as part of the sentence, as well as the time he spent in prison in the United States awaiting trial.
As part of the agreement between the AUC and the government, the paramilitaries availed themselves of the Justice and Peace Law, which provided for maximum sentences of eight years in prison in exchange for collaboration in clarifying crimes.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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