International

Colombia probes murder of two young Venezuelan migrants

AFP

Colombian authorities are investigating the murder of two young Venezuelan migrants in the northeast of the country, sources said on Monday.

Authorities said the two youngsters, one of whom was allegedly only 12 years old, were murdered by an “illegal armed group”.

Videos and photos shared on social media appeared to show them on Saturday trying to steal clothing from a shop in Tibu, on the border with Venezuela — an area rife with criminal gangs.

“They were taken away… by an illegal armed group that took them to an unknown destination where they were murdered,” Jaime Marthey, the ombudsman in the Norte de Santander department, told Blu Radio.

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Images seemingly from after they were caught, show the youngsters with their wrists bound with tape, surrounded by people giving them a warning: “We don’t want to see you lying by the side of a road tomorrow. We’re handing you over to authorities.”

The younger of the two was pictured carrying a red school backpack.

Other images show their bodies covered in blood by the side of a rural path after they were apparently shot in the stomach.

A piece of cardboard with the words “thieves” had been placed on the younger Venezuelan.

Tibu is the site of Colombia’s largest plantation of coca leaves, the main ingredient used in the fabrication of cocaine.

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Various armed groups in the country are battling for control of the lucrative drug trafficking market.

Shopkeepers claim they called the police but no one came to take custody of the two youngsters.

Police colonel Carlos Martinez promised there would be an “internal investigation” and claimed the youngsters were killed by dissidents from the left-wing rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Martinez claimed the shopkeepers had beaten the Venezuelans, something the local shopkeepers’ federation denied, saying they tried to protect the youngsters and stop them from being taken away by unidentified men.

Venezuela’s attorney general Tarek Saab sent a letter to his Colombian counterpart, Francisco Barbosa, to request “clarification” of the situation and “any responsibilities that may arise.”

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Earlier, Saab said on Twitter that “the full identification of the bodies has not been achieved and they have not been claimed by any family members.”

Colombia’s representation to the UN Commission on Human Rights posted a statement on Twitter denouncing the “murder of a 12-year-old child,” and calling on authorities to investigate.

International

Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.

International

U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster

A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.

On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.

This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.

The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.

The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.

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International

Sheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday highlighted her government’s achievements in the fight against drug trafficking, after the United States said challenges remain in combating organized crime.

On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held talks with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Following the meeting, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that “despite progress, challenges still exist” in addressing organized crime.

“There are very strong results from joint cooperation and from the work Mexico is doing: first, a 50% reduction in fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border,” Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference.

The president also said that authorities have seized nearly 320 tons of drugs and that there has been a “40% decrease in intentional homicides in Mexico” since the start of her administration on October 1, 2024.

Sheinbaum added that the United States should implement campaigns to reduce drug consumption within its territory and curb the flow of weapons into Mexico.

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“There are many results and there will be more, but there must be mutual respect and shared responsibility, as well as respect for our sovereignties,” she said.

On Monday, Sheinbaum held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss security issues. She said she once again ruled out the presence of U.S. troops in Mexico to fight drug cartels.

Security has been a recurring issue used by Trump to threaten tariffs on Mexico and to pressure negotiations over the USMCA (T-MEC) free trade agreement, which are scheduled for 2026.

The agreement is crucial for Mexico’s economy, as about 80% of the country’s exports are destined for the United States.