International

Colombia says dissident guerrilla leader ‘presumed dead’

AFP

Colombia’s defense minister Diego Molano on Wednesday announced the “presumed death” of one of the main leaders of a dissident left-wing guerrilla group, killed earlier this month in Venezuela.

According to local media, Miguel Botache Santillana, known as “Kind Duarte,” died on May 4 in an attack on his jungle camp.

The 59-year-old had been part of the peace process that brought to an end a half-century of conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the state.

But he was one of the first ex-FARC leaders to subsequently take up arms again after the 2016 peace deal was signed.

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President Ivan Duque described the development as “great news” in a statement to journalists, adding that “all symbols of evil must disappear.

Molano told a press conference in Bogota that “intelligence sources reveal the presumed death of ‘Kind Duarte’ in the Venezuelan state of Zulia in a clash between… drug trafficking groups and terrorists.”

“If this is confirmed, it is one more proof that the (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro regime is protecting terrorist and drug trafficking groups on its soil.”

Under conservative Duque, Colombia has often accused neighboring Venezuela of harboring rebels on its territory.

Since taking up arms again, Botache is believed to have been in charge of a group of around 1,700 fighters.

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FARC dissidents operate without a central command — there are around 5,200 fighters divided up into about 30 groups throughout the country.

They are mostly financed through drug trafficking and illegal mining.

Colombia’s government had put up a reward of $1 million for Botache’s head.

International

Death toll from southern Spain train crash rises to 40

The death toll from the train accident that occurred on Sunday in southern Spain has risen to 40, according to investigative sources cited by EFE on Monday afternoon.

Since early Monday, search operations have focused on the damaged carriages of a Renfe train bound for Huelva, which collided with the last derailed cars of an Iryo train traveling from Málaga to Madrid after it left the tracks.

The crash has also left more than 150 people injured. Of these, 41 remain hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care units at hospitals across the Andalusia region.

More than 220 Civil Guard officers are working at the site, searching the railway line and surrounding areas for key evidence to help identify victims and determine the causes of the accident.

The tragedy has revived memories of the deadliest railway disasters in Europe in recent decades. In Spain, the most severe occurred on July 24, 2013, when an Alvia train derailed near Santiago de Compostela, killing 80 people and injuring 130 others.

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At the European level, the worst rail disaster took place on June 3, 1998, in Eschede, northern Germany, when a high-speed train struck a bridge pillar at 200 kilometers per hour, resulting in 98 deaths and 120 injuries.

International

Spain’s Prime Minister pledges transparency after train crash kills at least 39

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged on Monday to ensure “absolute transparency” regarding the causes of a train crash that killed at least 39 people on Sunday in southern Spain, warning that the death toll could still rise.

The fatal accident occurred in the Andalusia region, where the number of confirmed deaths reached 39 by Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.

Authorities were preparing to deploy heavy machinery to lift several derailed train cars. “We are waiting for cranes to be installed this morning to lift cars one, two and three of the Alvia train, which suffered the most damage,” said Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno Bonilla on regional television. “It is likely that once they are lifted, we may find more victims,” he added.

The disaster also left more than 120 people injured. As of Monday afternoon, 43 victims remained hospitalized, including 12 in intensive care, according to emergency services.

International

Over 160 christian worshippers kidnapped in Kaduna Church attacks

More than 160 Christian worshippers were abducted on Sunday during coordinated attacks carried out by armed gangs on two churches in a remote village in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, according to a cleric and a United Nations report accessed by AFP on Monday.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has witnessed a renewed surge in mass kidnappings since November, prompting the United States government to carry out military strikes on Christmas Day in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

U.S. President Donald Trump accused Nigerian armed groups of targeting Christians, describing the violence as a form of “genocide” against the religious community.

According to Reverend Joseph Hayab, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the north, the attackers arrived in large numbers, blocked access to the churches, and forced worshippers to flee into nearby forests.

“The attackers came in large numbers, sealed off the entrances to the churches, and drove the faithful into the bush,” Hayab told AFP.