International
Fear and anguish for the future reign among the displaced of the Catatumbo in Ocaña
Fear and anguish reign among the thousands of displaced people who arrived at the Ocaña coliseum after leaving behind their lives in the Colombian region of Catatumbo where a confrontation between the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a dissent of the FARC, which has already lasted a week, forced them to flee their land.
Coming from different hamlets in the area, the displaced people pile up in the Algerian coliseum Durán Quintero, so named in memory of that politician and former minister born in Ocaña and who, like them, was a victim of the armed conflict because he was kidnapped by the guerrilla of the People’s Liberation Army (EPL) in January 1992 and died in captivity a month and a half later, at the age of 77.
Many of the newcomers agree to talk to the press, but few give their name for fear of suffering reprisals if they return home, a possibility that for now they see remote.
“No, it’s very difficult for me to go back there, very difficult, you have to fix a lot for one to return because (…) there is a lot of violence,” Delma Martínez (name changed) tells EFE.
The 66-year-old woman says that last Thursday, when the clashes between the ‘elenos’ and the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents began, she left the sidewalk (village) of Piedras de Moler, in the jungle area of Teorama, one of the municipalities of Catatumbo.
“The shooting was formed and I had to come to (the hamlet) Las Chircas because the situation got angry,” he says in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the coliseum.
According to the Ombudsman’s Office on Tuesday, of the 32,000 displaced people, 15,086 arrived in Cúcuta, capital of Norte de Santander; 11,503 to Ocaña, the second city in that department, and 5,300 in Tibú, a town located in the Catatumbo.
Upon arriving at the coliseum, they are directed to some attention stations marked with the names of the municipalities from which they come where officials take the data in the midst of a constant hustle and bustle for the arrival of food and mats.
Entities such as the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), which takes care of children and adolescents; firefighters, the Ombudsman’s Office, the Colombian Red Cross and the Emiro Quintero Cañizares Hospital, participate in this assistance.
There are also “sycological care” and “spiritual care” points, and on a soccer field located at the back of the coliseum, some boys play while adults prepare food in large pots.
“One is stigmatized, with nerves because of so much violence and so many children suffering,” adds the woman.
As he explains, his group was composed of “six people, three women and three boys”, who walked in the direction of Ocaña, but halfway she injured her leg in a fall, so they had to ask a motorcyclist for help to raise it in the back.
The woman adds that although they have received the first aid, they fear for their future if the crisis continues.
“They are behaving well with us because they are giving us ‘room’ and food,” he says, adding that they also need clothes and toiletries. “I am a person who doesn’t have a job here, I don’t even get (the subsidy for) the elderly anymore (…) they took that away from us,” he says.
In the same situation is Torcoroma, 37, who arrived in Ocaña along with her husband and two children, aged 16 and 11, from San Pablo, a district of Teorama, with fear in his body for “the crossfire between the FARC and the ELN”.
This housewife tells EFE that the outbreak of violence was not a surprise because “there was one or two rumors that there was a ceasefire only for the December season, but we do not know why they are in this fight” because until now, in São Paulo “both groups lived together.”
“At all,000 people came,” he says, adding that they left “with the only thing we could put in some backpacks and the papers (documents).”
On the possibility of returning to San Pablo, a farmhouse that in recent years experienced a bonanza for coca, Torcoroma responds: “No, we have to wait for something else to normalize and that we do not run the risk of returning to our homes.”
“You know that there is a saying ‘he who owes nothing, fears nothing’, but for killing another they come out by killing someone who owes nothing,” he concludes.
International
FBI Says It Disrupted Alleged Plot Targeting White House During UFC Event
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Tuesday that it had disrupted an alleged plot to attack the White House during a major Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event held in Washington over the weekend.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the threat was identified on June 10 through a joint investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. According to Patel, swift action by authorities led to the arrest of several suspects before the alleged plan could be carried out.
“On June 10, the FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat targeting UFC America 250 in Washington. Thanks to the rapid response of the FBI and our partners, multiple individuals are now in custody, and the alleged attack plans were stopped before they could be executed,” Patel said.
He emphasized that the operation demonstrated the ability of security agencies to detect and prevent potential threats at large public gatherings. Patel added that the investigation remains ongoing and that additional details will be released as court proceedings move forward.
According to reports from U.S. media outlets, five individuals have been arrested so far. The suspects were identified as Tycen Proper of Ohio, Daniel Eskridge of Missouri, Abraham Hermosillo Álvarez of Nebraska, and Bryan Omar Roa and Michael Alan Thomas, both from California. Authorities are also investigating the possible involvement of 18 additional individuals.
Investigators allege that the plot involved the use of drones equipped with explosives to target buildings near the sporting event. The plan reportedly sought to trigger a mass evacuation and direct attendees toward areas where snipers were allegedly positioned. Authorities further claim that a second phase of the operation included an attempted assault on the White House.
The U.S. Secret Service confirmed that it worked closely with the FBI throughout the operation. Secret Service Director Sean Curran stated that security teams conducted extensive efforts to identify those involved and eliminate any threat to attendees and protected facilities.
The investigation reportedly uncovered communications conducted through the messaging application Signal, where several suspects allegedly discussed details related to the planned attack. A forensic analysis of one of the seized mobile phones revealed at least 23 users participating in conversations connected to the alleged planning activities.
Court documents also indicate that some of the suspects allegedly intended to target U.S. political figures. Among the reported targets were members of Congress who had received contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Investigators further stated that one of the primary suspects had posted antisemitic messages and expressions of support for Adolf Hitler on social media, evidence that is now part of the ongoing judicial investigation.
International
Brazil helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro kills six, including pilots and international figures
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police confirmed on Monday the identities of three of the six victims killed in a helicopter collision that occurred the previous morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood.
All three identified victims are Brazilian nationals: the pilots of the aircraft, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza, and music producer Lucas Brito.
The identities of the three foreign victims have not yet been officially confirmed. They include U.S. singer Oliver Tree, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim—known online as “Gaspi”—and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale, all of whom were listed on the flight manifest.
According to police, forensic experts from the Legal Medical Institute have already collected DNA samples in order to identify the foreign victims, whose bodies were severely burned.
One of the helicopters crashed into a private parking lot, triggering a fire that destroyed around twenty electric vehicles. That aircraft was carrying the pilot and four passengers, including the three foreign nationals.
The second helicopter, which had only the pilot on board, crashed approximately 100 meters away from the first impact site.
Rio de Janeiro’s deputy mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated that both helicopters were operating transport flights toward Angra dos Reis on the Rio coastline and toward the mountainous region of the state.
Oliver Tree, 32, was in Brazil as part of an international tour. The artist, known for songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” had performed to a large audience in São Paulo a week earlier and was scheduled to continue his tour in Europe.
Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim, 23, had built a following of more than two million on social media platforms, gaining popularity for humorous and often controversial video productions that had occasionally been removed by hosting platforms.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
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