International
Colombian Defense Minister denounces the kidnapping of 29 uniformed men in the southwest of the country
The Colombian government denounced this Friday “the attempted murder and subsequent kidnapping of 29 members of the Public Force” in the department of Cauca (southwest), where the Army launched an operation last October to take control of the area from a dissident of the former FARC.
The events occurred on Thursday in the hamlets of El Plateado and La Hacienda, located in the municipalities of Algeria and El Tambo, as confirmed today by the Minister of Defense of Colombia, retired General Pedro Sánchez Suárez.
“The life and safety of the kidnapped members of the Public Force is the direct responsibility of those who committed this reprehensible crime,” the minister said in an extensive message on his X account.
The minister did not specify who the kidnapped are, but local media indicate that they are mostly members of the Police who yesterday helped repel a sason of residents of El Plateado against the Army and who also “set fire to two official vehicles.”
Sánchez attributed these attacks to the Carlos Patiño group, of the FARC dissidents, and to “invillants instrumentalized by this group”, who acted “with service and dressing in civilian clothes to infiltrate and attack the integrity of our uniformed men.”
On October 12 of last year, the Army launched ‘Operation Perseus’, with more than a thousand soldiers, to regain control of El Plateado, the main stronghold of the Carlos Patiño group, a faction of the Central General Staff (EMC), the largest dissident of the former FARC, which is dedicated to drug trafficking.
However, five months later the military deployment has not given the expected result and the dissidents continue to control the area.
“Since entering the region, the Public Force has faced constant threats from Carlos Patiño, who seeks to sow fear, anxiety and stop the arrival of social and development projects that benefit communities,” the minister added.
Sánchez, who took office last week, also rejected “the recent blowing up of the bridge that connects El Plateado with La Hacienda,” an attack that he classified as “proof of how these actions directly affect communities, restricting their mobility and access to essential services.”
referring to the events that caused Thursday’s sasonada, the Minister of Defense reiterated that in the Micay Canyon, a strategic step for drug trafficking routes, “no actions of forced eradication (of coca bushes) will be advanced”.
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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