International

Colombia’s ELN rebels end ‘armed strike’ after holiday ceasefire

| By AFP |

Colombian rebel group ELN has ended the forced confinement of around 10,000 people in the northwest of the country, President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday.

The lifting of the so-called armed strike in the Choco region followed ELN’s announcement on Monday of a “unilateral ceasefire” for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period, starting December 24 and ending on January 2.

ELN — the National Liberation Army — is in peace negotiations with Colombia’s new leftist government, and Petro — a former urban guerrilla himself — has vowed to negotiate with armed groups in search of “total peace”.

“The armed strike was lifted,” he tweeted, adding that humanitarian assistance would be provided to the affected areas.

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Interior Minister Alfonso Prada on Twitter called it “another gesture of peace from the ELN”.

Colombia has suffered more than half a century of armed conflict between the state and various groups of left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug traffickers.

The ELN is the last recognized rebel group operating in the country, although dissidents who refused to sign a 2016 peace deal between the FARC guerrilla group and the government also remain active.

Talks resumed with the ELN in Venezuela last month for the first time since 2019 — when Petro’s conservative predecessor Ivan Duque broke off negotiations following a car bomb attack on a police academy that left 22 people dead.

The initial talks have not resulted in a formal ceasefire agreement.

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Armed since 1964, the ELN has a force of some 2,500 fighters and a wide network of collaborators, according to independent estimates.

Related Topics:armed strike Colombia ELN

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The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
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Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
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In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.