International
Peasants camp in Bogotá in protest against guerrilla violence in the Catatumbo
At least 70 leaders of the Catatumbo demanded this Wednesday in Bogotá solutions from the Colombian government for the guerrilla violence that plagues that border region with Venezuela and that leaves in just over two weeks between 60 and 80 dead and more than 50,000 displaced.
This was stated by a leader, who like her companions camped in the central Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá, to raise her voice against violence and demand real guarantees for their return to the populations from which they came pressured by violence.
“We are here because we were displaced by what is happening in the Catatumbo due to the clashes between the ELN and the FARC. These uncertainties that the peasantry who have had to leave their lands are experiencing have been debated,” the woman who preferred to keep her identity in reserve told EFE.
The clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents in the Catatumbo since January 16 left between 60 and 80 dead according to the counts of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Government of Norte de Santander.
However, the authorities have only been able to collect 50 bodies due to the situation that the most remote rural areas continue to experience, where the authorities have not yet been able to access.
Among the fatalities are six peace signatories, while 12 former FARC fighters are missing.
The leader reiterated that it is up to President Petro and his ministers to give them the guarantees for “the effective enjoyment of the rights of the civilian population.”
He recalled that the violence increased in the Catatumbo since the murder of the gravedigger, his wife and a son of both, which occurred on January 16.
“They passed by warning that they were entering the houses, that they were going to murder and that scared us,” he said.
He emphasized that the situation of violence in the Catatumbo needs fundamental solutions because he wondered what will happen when the resources of the mayor’s offices are exhausted.
“We have no guarantees,” insisted the leader, who added that staying in a hotel and a market exchange does not give for a long subsistence time.
Likewise, he said that they have been in the discussions that are being held in the Colombian Congress about the Catatumbo crisis but “people do not listen to each other.”
Regarding the security for the Catatumbo, the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, said in Congress that “from the first moment when it was known what happened on January 16, all the capacities turned to saving lives specifically of persecuted signatories, of feared leaders like the population.”
Likewise, he said that within the second phase of this operation of the Military Forces for the security and defense of the territory, there are already five operations that have been developed by the National Army against the ELN and other armed actors.
“There has been pressure on all the armed actors that has also motivated structure 33, that 91 of its members have submitted, that we have been able to recover 20 minors, boys, girls, adolescents who were part of that organization, who had been recruited, as we always say, forcibly by structure 33,” Velásquez said.
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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