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
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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