International
Indigenous peoples of Mexico help migrants stranded in the south far from the border
Indigenous communities took the initiative to help and feed migrants who are stranded far from the border in southern Mexico, where uncertainty is aggravated days before Donald Trump assumes the presidency in the United States, next Monday.
In Oaxaca, one of the main cities in the south of the country, activists created a community canteen to give free food to migrants, mostly from Central and South America, who arrive to rest, raise money and resume their journey to Mexico City and, later, to the United States.
Its motto is ‘Nkaáymyujkeme’, a voice written in the Mixe language of the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca that means ‘Let’s all eat’, and which emerged during the first days of 2025, mainly for migrant children, when estimating that a “difficult year” is coming in the United States in the face of restrictive policies for mobility.
Oaxaca is the origin of migrants and to help only motivates the empathy of suffering hunger in the flesh when leaving the earth in search of a better life, its founder, Filadelfo Aldaz Desiderio, tells EFE.
“I think it is just from hunger, that is, from the hunger we spend in our communities, from the hunger we spend in the cities because in the end we are also people who migrate from our communities and, from that hunger we precisely do this work,” says the activist.
The country is concerned about the mass deportations promised by Trump because about half of the 11 million undocumented in the United States are Mexicans and almost 4% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP) is represented by their remittances, which in 2024 received an estimated record of 65 billion dollars.
In addition, the Government of Mexico detected a record of more than 925,000 irregular migrants from January to August, a year-on-year increase of almost 132%.
In this scenario, initiatives such as ‘Let’s eat all’ arise, which is supported by citizen donations, since there is no political or religious group that sponsors the donation of food and hot drinks in bus terminals for migrants in the city of Oaxaca.
Desiderio, an indigenous mixe culture, explains that it is about helping, but also protesting.
“It’s just that in reality migration is not going to stop, that is, all people move around the world. However, the United States is going to paralyze these people a little, to persecute them, to torture them, even to murder them. It’s a whole foreign policy of the United States,” he says.
The menu for migrants of the first visit of the year that the canteen, led by indigenous people, delivers at the bus terminal was a plate of lentils, rice, beans and corn tortillas, accompanied by a glass of hot coffee to reduce the winter cold that in the city of Oaxaca drops to 6 degrees.
Juana Antonia Osorio, a 28-year-old Honduran who approached the group, is in the seventh month of pregnancy and is in a hurry to arrive in the United States, where Trump assumes the presidency on January 20.
“I want to reach the States before it is born so that it is American (American) and there I am going to put it to study,” .
Upon arriving in Oaxaca, Osorio ran out of money, so time was pressing.
“I want to get there quickly, but things have gotten complicated, right now I don’t have weights to continue the trip,” describes the woman, who will be a single mother because armed groups murdered her husband in Honduras.
The traveler now receives the support of the community canteen, which has undertaken a campaign to request economic resources and food to help migrants trying to reach the border and ask for asylum in the United States.
For some migrants, the food given is the only thing they will eat during their stay in Oaxaca.
“Until now we had not eaten, we have been walking all day, waiting,” says Cristian Martínez, a Venezuelan who seeks to get to Mexico City to work, save and then go to the United States.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
International
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Cuba is facing a severe dengue and chikungunya epidemic that has already claimed at least 44 lives, including 29 minors, according to the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap). The outbreak—now considered out of control—has expanded across the entire country amid a critical shortage of resources to confront the emergency.
Authorities report more than 42,000 chikungunya infections and at least 26,000 dengue cases, though they acknowledge significant underreporting as many patients avoid seeking care in health centers where medicines, supplies, and medical personnel are scarce. The first cluster was detected in July in the city of Matanzas, but the government did not officially use the term “epidemic” until November 12.
Chikungunya—virtually unknown on the island until this year—causes high fever, rashes, fatigue, and severe joint pain that can last for months, leaving thousands temporarily incapacitated. Dengue, endemic to the region, triggers fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and, in severe cases, internal bleeding. Cuba currently has no vaccines available for either virus.
Minsap reports that of the 44 deaths recorded so far, 28 were caused by chikungunya and 16 by dengue.
The health crisis unfolds amid deep economic deterioration, marked by the absence of fumigation campaigns, uncollected garbage, and shortages of medical supplies—conditions that have fueled the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector for both diseases. “The healthcare system is overwhelmed,” non-official medical sources acknowledge.
Beyond the health impact, the epidemic is heavily disrupting economic and family life. The intense joint pain caused by chikungunya has led to widespread work absences, while hospital overcrowding has forced relatives to leave their jobs to care for the sick. In November, authorities launched a clinical trial using the Cuban drug Jusvinza to reduce joint pain, though results have not yet been released.
International
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
Violence in Ecuador is expected to reach historic levels by the end of 2025, with the country set to record the highest homicide rate in Latin America for the third consecutive year, according to a report released Thursday by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). The organization warns that criminal activity is not only persisting but could worsen in 2026.
Official figures show 7,553 homicides recorded through October, surpassing the 7,063 registered throughout all of 2024. ACLED estimates that 71% of the population was exposed to violent incidents this year, despite President Daniel Noboa’s declaration of an “internal armed conflict” in an attempt to confront powerful criminal groups.
According to the report, several factors are driving the deterioration of security: a territorial war between Los Chonerosand Los Lobos, the two most influential criminal organizations in the country; the fragmentation of other groups after the fall of their leaders; and Ecuador’s expanding role as a strategic hub for regional drug trafficking.
Since 2021, violence has forced the internal displacement of around 132,000 people, while more than 400,000 Ecuadorians — equivalent to 2% of the population — have left the country. Between January and November alone, violent deaths rose 42%, fueled by prison massacres and clashes between rival gangs.
The report warns that conditions may deteriorate further. Ecuador has been added to ACLED’s 2026 Conflict Watchlist, which highlights regions at risk of escalating violence. The expansion of Colombian armed groups such as FARC dissidents and the ELN, state weakness, and a potential rerouting of drug trafficking corridors from the Caribbean to the Pacific intensify the threat.
“The president is facing a wave of violence that shows no signs of easing,” the report concludes.
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
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