International
The drama of displacement due to the conflict in the Catatumbo returns to the streets of Tibú
The streets of Tibú, an oil town in the Colombian department of Norte de Santander, have once again been the scene of the exodus of thousands of people who seek refuge from the violence between the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and one of the FARC dissidents.
This town experienced similar scenes between 1997 and 2004 when the massacres of guerrillas and paramilitaries forced the displacement of more than 34,000 people who had to flee to get to safety after being accused of collaborating with the other side.
This time, of the 38,000 displaced people left by the guerrilla war in Catatumbo, about 5,300 are in Tibú and the rest, mostly in Cúcuta, capital of Norte de Santander (15,086) and in Ocaña (11,503), the second city of the department, bordering Venezuela.
In the urban center of Tibú there are five temporary shelters that welcome adults and children and in which the situation is about to become critical.
One of them is the Minor Seminary, converted into an improvised home for those who arrive with their own dramas.
In the different spaces of this place there are temporary beds and people with stories of sleepless nights and the despair that accompanies those who flee aimlessly from the bullets.
“We were two days in silence inside the house. At night we did not turn on the light for fear that they would reach us,” a woman who prefers to omit her name and who fled with her husband and two children from the La 25 sector told EFE.
Another woman, named Luz Mary, from the farmhouse of Miramontes, said that she went out on motorcycles along with several members of her family.
“They told us that we should go out and we left our animals abandoned. It is strong and more for our children,” he told EFE, while in the background some minors were heard chanting “We want peace.”
Don Jaime, a farmer with deep roots in the farmhouse of La Serpentina, shares his story: “My family has lived here for generations. The earth is our home, but now we are forced to flee, but I will return.”
As the days go by, the exodus continues in the deep Catatumbo. Some stay in Tibú, others continue their way to Cúcuta, where there are already more than 15,000 displaced people, or to Ocaña, which has received more than 11,500 people.
The catatumbero Jean Carlos lived closely the beginning of the conflict and fled with 11 relatives on a motorcycle in search of shelter.
“One panics,” he says, and assures that he plans to return to his land as soon as everything calms down because “we have fought hard to have it to leave it thrown away.”
Lieutenant Colonel Miyer Fernando Moreno Gutiérrez, commander of the Army’s Battalion of Military Engineers No. 30, said that they are evacuating civilians in risky conditions, the most recent of them with 40 people.
“With the constant aerial patrol, 120 people have been rescued, including social leaders, peace signatories and communal leaders, who were protected and placed in shelters,” said the officer, who indicated that they have had knowledge of isolated confrontations, but not with the same intensity of the first day.
The humanitarian response continues to arrive and the Government of the North of Santander has activated protocols to provide basic assistance to those affected: food, mats and hygiene kits are distributed among the shelters.
The streets of Tibú are patrolled by the Army and the Police, who try to bring tranquility and order, but fear persists and insecurity remains a shadow over the community.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
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.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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