International

At least five peace signatories and social leaders are killed in fighting in Colombia

At least five peace signatories were killed this Thursday in the midst of the fighting between the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a dissident of the former FARC in the turbulent Colombian region of Catatumbo (northeast), the UN denounced.

“I express my strongest condemnation for the murder of 5 peace signatories and leaders in Catatumbo. It is urgent to protect the civilian population and communities. I call on armed groups to cease violent actions. The true will for dialogue involves respecting the lives of those who opted for peace,” said the special representative of the UN Secretary General in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, in his X account.

The fighting, apparently due to territorial disputes, takes place in several rural areas of the department of Norte de Santander, including the hamlet of El Aserrío, which is part of the municipality of Teorama, and in Filo Gringo, located in Tibú, two of the municipalities that are part of the Catatumbo, according to different authorities.

Rodrigo Londoño, head of the Commons party, which emerged from the demobilization of the FARC in 2016, said that the five murdered are signatories of peace and demanded “guarantees” from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in the face of what he called “an ongoing genocide.”

“Serious situation in the Catatumbo region. I demand that the armed groups stop the confrontation. History will not forgive the atrocities they commit against the civilian population and the signatories of peace. The Catatumbo and all of Colombia deserve to live in peace,” said Londoño, who was the last commander of the FARC.

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According to the Institute of Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz), two of the fatalities were identified as Albeiro Díaz Franco and Yurgen Martínez, who were murdered in a rural area of Teorama, where they were carrying out their reincorporation process.

Another of the dead ex-combatants is Jhan Carlos Carvajalino, who “was forcibly removed from his place of residence by armed men” and then murdered in Convención, a municipality neighboring Teorama.

Faced with what happened, the Army indicated that “it is in the area, fulfilling its mission of providing security and preserving the life and integrity of the communities that live in the municipalities of the Catatumbo region.”

President Petro, for his part, refueled a statement from the Association of Mothers of Catatumbo for Peace, which denounces what happened today in the region and asked the Government to intervene, and commented: “They have bloodied the Catatumbo. We hear the voice of the mothers.”

El Catatumbo, a poor and jungle region that borders Venezuela, is formed by the municipalities of Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama and Tibú, in which the ELN, FARC dissidents, a stronghold of the People’s Liberation Army (EPL) and other gangs that dispute control of coca crops and drug trafficking corridors operate.

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The Ombudsman’s Office expressed its “deep concern about the beginning of armed confrontations between the Central General Staff and the ELN in the Catatumbo region,” where “this armed conflict has generated a serious violation of human rights in the municipalities of this area of the country”.

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.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”