International

An attack with explosives leaves five injured and destroys a toll booth on the border of Colombia and Venezuela

A terrorist wave shook Colombia’s border with Venezuela in recent hours where unknown persons destroyed with explosives the toll located on the international highway that connects Cúcuta with San Antonio del Táchira and shot police posts, leaving at least five people injured by the attack, the authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The injured are three workers of the National Institute of Roads (Invías) and two guards of the toll that suffered the attack, located in Villa del Rosario, a municipality of the metropolitan area of Cúcuta, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and the main border crossing of Colombia with Venezuela.

“The toll was completely destroyed,” said the Secretary of Citizen Security of Norte de Santander, George Quintero, on Thursday, who offered a reward of “up to one hundred million pesos (about 25,000 dollars) to find those responsible for the violent events of the last few hours.”

Almost simultaneously this morning they attacked with shots a police post located in the Historical Temple, in front of the Home of General Francisco de Paula Santander, one of the heroes of Independence, also in Villa del Rosario, and the La Parada Police station, currently under construction.

No authority has confirmed the authorship of these attacks, although it is suspected that they may have been perpetrated by the guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN), which operates in the region and which in recent days has placed bomb cylinders on some roads in Norte de Santander.

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The wave of violence occurs a day after several governors claimed the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, for the aggravation of the armed conflict in several parts of the country, during a meeting of the president with regional authorities.

“There is a very complicated perception in the country regarding security,” said William Villamizar, governor of Norte de Santander, where the Catatumbo region is located, hit for a month by the ELN’s onslaut against a FARC disssency that has left at least 63 dead and more than 50,000 displaced.

Villamizar, who spoke as a spokesman for his colleagues from the 32 Colombian departments, made a call to “strengthen the intelligence and work of the Military Forces” with an increase in the strength in several regions.

The same concern was expressed by the governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba, since in her department the ELN fights with the Gulf Clan, the main Colombian criminal gang, which until last week had left some 3,600 displaced and more than 12,000 people confined.

“I have raised my voice in recent days on behalf of the department of Chocó and on behalf of the communities of the department of Chocó because it is a real humanitarian crisis and international humanitarian law (IHL),” said Córdoba.

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On the other hand, material damage to homes and shops left an attack with explosives launched on Wednesday night against a temporary detention center in Popayán, capital of the convulsive department of Cauca, in southwestern Colombia.

The commander of the Metropolitan Police of Popayán, Colonel Jhon Fredy Zambrano, told reporters that “no effects were presented to people who remain deprived of liberty, nor to our personnel.”

Likewise, he assured that the possible use of drones in the attack is being investigated and that surveillance was reinforced in the area and a sweep was also carried out to rule out that there were other explosives.

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.

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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.