International
Duque sees “despair” and “insecurity” in Petro’s attitude and proposes a “democratic debate”
Former Colombian President Iván Duque sees that there is “despair” and “insecurity” in his successor, Gustavo Petro, who accused him of being a “terrorist” for the “murder” of dozens of young people at the hands of the public forces during the 2021 protests.
In a message published on the social network X, Duque (2018-2022) made a parallel between his career and that of Petro. He asked “that the healthy democratic debate begin now” for the presidential elections of 2026.
“There is despair, insecurity, paranoia, schizophrenia evident in this behavior, which intensifies with the drunkenness of applause and the motivation to eclipse failures and scandals. No more threats or attacks. Let the tragedy end on August 7, 2026 (the day that Petro’s mandate culminates), but let the healthy democratic debate begin without stopping at more crazy things to attract attention,” Duque said.
The day before, President Petro called his predecessor a “terrorist” for the “murder” of young people during the social outcuse of 2021. According to social organizations, more than 80 people died violently, most of them from police abuses.
“When 60 young people killed by the State die, burned, tortured, when thousands of young people were arrested, the question is then: who was the terrorist? Who should be described as a terrorist?” Petro asked in a government act in Cali, capital of the department of Valle del Cauca (southwest).
Petro added: “The president of the republic today has to say that the terrorist was not the popular youth, that the terrorist was the State of Colombia and particularly the Government of (…) Mr. Duque. The 60 killed in Cali by you were not terrorists, the terrorist was you.”
In that sense, Duque wondered, “Who is the terrorist?” He recalled that he has never been a member of “illegal or terrorist armed groups,” as if Petro did, who was a guerrilla of the 19 de Abril Movement (M-19).
“I have never made an apology for terrorism by flying flags of illegal armed groups,” added the former president, referring to the controversy that erose last month when Petro ordered the M-19 flag to be displayed in a public event in which he commemorated the murder 34 years ago of former guerrilla commander Carlos Pizarro.
Among other issues that Duque reminded Petro of, there are the “alliances with criminals in prisons to make the most of the election.” Or the call to young people to “express themselves with violence and vandalism with the promise of impunity if they are prosecuted.”
“I have never exalted the seizure of the Palace of Justice (in 1985), the murder of José Raquel Mercado (union leader kidnapped and executed by the M-19), the Tacueyó Massacre (in the 1980s), nor hundreds of kidnappings calling them ‘revolutionary’ acts,” Duque added in reference to Petro’s attitudes.
Likewise, Duque said that he has not “promoted the paramilitary leaders to return to the country to avoid their punishments, revictimizing those who have caused them so much pain,” referring to what happened to the former commander of the United Self-Defense of Colombia (AUC) Salvatore Mancuso, appointed peace manager by the Government and who may be released in the coming days.
“I have not threatened journalists, businessmen, politicians, judges, guilds, industrialists, intellectuals for not thinking like me, much less disagreeing with me,” Duque concluded in his decalogue of response to Petro.
Former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) accused the current president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, of wanting to instigate “civil war” in the country and of constantly challenging the Constitution.
“The president instigates civil war. Let’s add so that that war does not divide the citizenry, so that it is the president’s against all of Colombia,” said Uribe, leader of the opposition party Centro Democrático, in a video published on his social networks.
Uribe assured that “the president of the republic, instead of reorienting the young people of Cali, as part of the support he wants to give them, instigates them more to violence, applauds violent acts.”
“He repeats to them that my permanence in politics is attachment to power when he should give thanks that that permanence allowed him to base himself on anti-uribism for his election,” said Uribe, who ruled in the periods 2002-2006 and 2006-2010.
He also stated that Petro defies the Constitution as a step “in his purpose of unleashing a civil war between compatriots.”
“We work so that respect for the Constitution and respect for the ideas of fraternal economy one more to the citizenry (…) That it is against all of Colombia, that it does not divide the Colombians more,” he concluded.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
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