International

Colombia’s Defense Minister denounces the kidnapping of 29 uniformed officers in the southwest of the country

The Government of Colombia denounced this Friday “the attempted murder and the subsequent kidnapping of 29 soldiers 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, 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 soldiers kidnapped in the region of Colombia are, but local media indicate that most of them are 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.”

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The minister said that the members of the Carlos Patiño group “not only forcibly recruit minors but also instrumentalize and coerce the civilian population in order to expel the Public Force and prevent state institutions from providing access to health, education, work and opportunities for the transformation of the territory.”

On October 12 of last year, the Colombian Army launched ‘Operation Perseo’, with more than a thousand soldiers, to regain control of El Plateado, the main bastion 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.”

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Without 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 forced eradication actions (of coca bushes) will be carried out.”

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.

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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.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.