International

Third hearing of former Colombian paramilitary leader held

Photo: EFE/JEP

May 16 |

This Monday, Salvatore Mancuso, former commander of the now defunct United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), held his third hearing before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), in which he confirmed his support for electoral campaigns and links with various officials.

Mancuso expanded the information on the links between paramilitaries, the Army, politicians and officials, as well as the influence and support of paramilitarism in electoral campaigns, including those of former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010).

“Your Honor, it is very important for you to know that many of these politicians came to the Self-Defense, to seek support (…) we basically sought out others when we were at the beginning of our political participation, to support them in some popularly elected positions,” he said.

This, he continued, with the aim of showing “that we had the capacity to appoint people to popularly elected positions at the national level, not only at the local and regional level”.

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The AUC “intervened directly in the congressional elections of May 10, 2002 and also in the May 2002 presidential elections,” he said.

“There was also support in elections, for example, for Horacio Serpa, for President (Andres) Pastrana (1998-2002) and for Uribe,” revealed the former paramilitary leader, who gave his testimony before the JEP via videoconference from the United States (U.S.).

Mancuso is currently in a US prison serving a sentence of almost 16 years on drug trafficking charges. In Colombia, he is pending trial for more than 1,700 crimes.

The former paramilitary, who must be extradited to Colombia when his sentence in the U.S. ends, seeks to enter the JEP and submit to restorative justice, with the intention of obtaining sentence reductions in this South American country.

In past hearings before the JEP, Mancuso revealed the disappearance of more than 200 people in crematorium ovens, as well as in mass graves in Venezuelan territory.

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He also acknowledged contacts with Venezuelan military and politicians to execute a coup plan against then President Hugo Chavez.

This Tuesday will be Mancuso’s fourth and last single truth hearing, in which he is expected to talk about the links between the now defunct Administrative Department of Security (DAS) and criminal groups.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.