International
The Colombian Government will go on the offensive against the ELN for the violence in the Catatumbo
The Minister of the Interior of Colombia, Juan Fernando Cristo, said on Wednesday that the Government will go on the offensive against the National Liberation Army (ELN) for the violence exercised since last week in the Catatumbo region that has left between 60 and 80 dead and more than 38,000 displaced.
“The Government has decided to use all constitutional and legal instruments to reject that intention of the ELN (to control the Colombian-Venezuelan border), to go on the offensive and to restore normality for the inhabitants of Catatumbo,” Cristo said in a statement to the press.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Monday that he will declare a state of internal commotion for the offensive undertaken by the guerrillas, a measure that will come into force tonight, according to Cristo.
“It is totally inexcusable, unacceptable, the crimes committed by the ELN, are acts of barbarism, it is a premeditated, organized massacre, the one that the ELN has done in the Catatumbo while they were preparing for a new conversation with the Government,” said Cristo.
Petro also suspended on Friday the peace talks with that guerrilla, with whom the Government delegation was supposed to meet this month to try to unlock negotiations that have stalled since May last year.
However, Cristo said that with this offensive, the ELN aims to “appropriate the income of coca, drug trafficking” and to “exercise territorial control over the Colombian-Venezuelan border area in that part of the Catatumbo.”
The ELN offensive against a FARC dissident has left between 60 and 80 dead (according to reports from the Ombudsman’s Office and the Government of Norte de Santander), although Legal Medicine has so far received only 41 bodies due to the difficulty in accessing the areas where the fighting took place.
Likewise, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) figures 38,419 displaced and 12,176 confined.
With the declaration of internal shock, the Government considers that it will have “all the necessary legal instruments to face this crisis and to restore normality.”
“From the issuance of the decree tonight, the Government will be authorized for 90 days to issue measures that allow us to restore that normality,” Cristo said.
It seeks to strengthen “military capabilities, increase the foot of strength, restrict communications and intercept communications.”
“We need to advance in the control of coca, advance with a crash plan in programs to replace illicit crops, because if we do not transform that economy (…) we will continue in the same,” he said.
Likewise, it has a humanitarian dimension to “attend as it properly deserves, with all dignity, to the displaced people caused by the ELN, who are today in Tibú, Ocaña and the city of Cúcuta.”
Finally, the interior commotion seeks to carry out a “social and economic transformation of the territory”.
“We are going to use the inner commotion to advance in a defined way in the replacement of illicit crops, but also in the fulfillment of a dream of the catatumberos, which are investments,” Cristo concluded.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
International
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Cuba is facing a severe dengue and chikungunya epidemic that has already claimed at least 44 lives, including 29 minors, according to the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap). The outbreak—now considered out of control—has expanded across the entire country amid a critical shortage of resources to confront the emergency.
Authorities report more than 42,000 chikungunya infections and at least 26,000 dengue cases, though they acknowledge significant underreporting as many patients avoid seeking care in health centers where medicines, supplies, and medical personnel are scarce. The first cluster was detected in July in the city of Matanzas, but the government did not officially use the term “epidemic” until November 12.
Chikungunya—virtually unknown on the island until this year—causes high fever, rashes, fatigue, and severe joint pain that can last for months, leaving thousands temporarily incapacitated. Dengue, endemic to the region, triggers fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and, in severe cases, internal bleeding. Cuba currently has no vaccines available for either virus.
Minsap reports that of the 44 deaths recorded so far, 28 were caused by chikungunya and 16 by dengue.
The health crisis unfolds amid deep economic deterioration, marked by the absence of fumigation campaigns, uncollected garbage, and shortages of medical supplies—conditions that have fueled the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector for both diseases. “The healthcare system is overwhelmed,” non-official medical sources acknowledge.
Beyond the health impact, the epidemic is heavily disrupting economic and family life. The intense joint pain caused by chikungunya has led to widespread work absences, while hospital overcrowding has forced relatives to leave their jobs to care for the sick. In November, authorities launched a clinical trial using the Cuban drug Jusvinza to reduce joint pain, though results have not yet been released.
International
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
Violence in Ecuador is expected to reach historic levels by the end of 2025, with the country set to record the highest homicide rate in Latin America for the third consecutive year, according to a report released Thursday by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). The organization warns that criminal activity is not only persisting but could worsen in 2026.
Official figures show 7,553 homicides recorded through October, surpassing the 7,063 registered throughout all of 2024. ACLED estimates that 71% of the population was exposed to violent incidents this year, despite President Daniel Noboa’s declaration of an “internal armed conflict” in an attempt to confront powerful criminal groups.
According to the report, several factors are driving the deterioration of security: a territorial war between Los Chonerosand Los Lobos, the two most influential criminal organizations in the country; the fragmentation of other groups after the fall of their leaders; and Ecuador’s expanding role as a strategic hub for regional drug trafficking.
Since 2021, violence has forced the internal displacement of around 132,000 people, while more than 400,000 Ecuadorians — equivalent to 2% of the population — have left the country. Between January and November alone, violent deaths rose 42%, fueled by prison massacres and clashes between rival gangs.
The report warns that conditions may deteriorate further. Ecuador has been added to ACLED’s 2026 Conflict Watchlist, which highlights regions at risk of escalating violence. The expansion of Colombian armed groups such as FARC dissidents and the ELN, state weakness, and a potential rerouting of drug trafficking corridors from the Caribbean to the Pacific intensify the threat.
“The president is facing a wave of violence that shows no signs of easing,” the report concludes.
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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