Al Jazeera reports on a displacement crisis in Catatumbo, Colombia, sparked by renewed conflict between rebel groups. This violence, occurring despite a 2016 peace agreement with FARC, has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, overwhelming resources in areas like Cucuta. The displaced face food shortages and uncertainty about returning, straining humanitarian aid efforts. President Petro's "total peace" policy faces challenges as peace talks with the ELN stall and the state struggles to ...
Mar 03, 2025•14 min
PS News reports that a Cape York man has been arrested in Colombia. The individual, in his 50s and employed by a council contractor, was allegedly caught with 3.5 kilograms of cocaine while attempting to depart the country. Authorities believe the man has made multiple trips between Colombia and Dubai in recent months. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance, though further details are limited due to privacy obligations. The article, originally published in t...
Mar 03, 2025•17 min
Colombian senators are proposing new regulations for the cryptocurrency industry, aiming to protect users and foster investment. The proposed bill seeks to establish a VASP operating permit system to ensure compliance with AML/CFT protocols. Lawmakers believe current lack of regulation creates risks for consumers and enables misuse of cryptoassets. They want to create a more reliable environment with guarantees for the sector. However, some experts caution against overly strict rules that could ...
Mar 03, 2025•16 min
Chinese state-backed companies have significantly increased investments in Colombian infrastructure projects since trade deals were established between 2008 and 2019. These investments encompass critical sectors , including ports, highways, mining, energy, and public transportation systems like metro lines and light rail. Concerns arise from the secretive nature of these deals , the potential for Chinese companies to control vital infrastructure, and the influx of Chinese workers. Several projec...
Feb 26, 2025•13 min
Colombia's war crimes tribunal (JEP) has indicted 39 army officials, including four generals, for their involvement in the extrajudicial killings of 442 civilians in Antioquia between 2004 and 2007. These killings were driven by a "body count policy" that incentivised soldiers to present civilians as guerrillas killed in combat. Commanders allegedly dismissed complaints about the killings, attributing them to guerrilla tactics The JEP highlighted that these executions occurred after guerrilla gr...
Feb 25, 2025•14 min
We examine Colombia's neutral stance three years into the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite officially remaining neutral under President Petro, the piece highlights the historical context of initial condemnation under previous leadership. It notes that approximately 2,000 Colombian mercenaries are fighting for Ukraine, often driven by economic hardship. The article acknowledges Petro's call for peaceful resolution but also mentions his criticism of Russia in specific circumstances, like civilian attac...
Feb 25, 2025•28 min
The trial of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has resumed after a court rejected a defence request to remove the judge. Uribe is accused of fabricating charges against individuals who linked him to the AUC paramilitary group, allegedly using bribed witnesses. Evidence suggests Uribe's defence team attempted to delay proceedings and were held in contempt of court. Testimony includes claims that Uribe and his brother were involved in creating the "Bloque Metro" death squad with Medellin Car...
Feb 25, 2025•12 min
Feb 10, 2025: Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia, has created upheaval within his government by requesting the resignation of his entire cabinet. This request follows public criticism of his ministers' performance and disagreements over recent appointments, including Laura Sarabia as foreign minister. Tensions were already high due to Petro's standoff with US President Donald Trump regarding migrant deportations, and the naming of Armando Benedetti. Several ministers, including those of La...
Feb 10, 2025•13 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Monday April 10, 2023 The Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia, responsible for one of the largest disasters in the Western Hemisphere, is showing signs of increased activity. Experts have detected an earthquake swarm not seen since the eruption in the 1980s that killed at least 25,000 people. The Colombian government has issued evacuations in the potential impact zone and raised the alert level to orange, the second-highest on a four-stage sca...
Apr 10, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Saturday April 8, 2023 Protests at a coal mine in Colombia's La Guajira province have ended after four days, allowing the mine to resume operations. The blockade was led by residents from three communities in Media Luna and had affected the rail line and entrance to the export terminal used by coal miner Cerrejon. The company, owned by Anglo-Swiss commodities giant Glencore, has had long-standing disputes with Wayuu indigenous communities over...
Apr 08, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Thursday April 6, 2023 Operations at Colombia's Cerrejon coal mine have been affected by a blockade of a rail line and export terminal used by the company, according to a statement released on Wednesday. The blockade, led by residents of three communities in Media Luna, La Guajira province, is an effort to obtain a "disproportionate agreement" following a court order for Cerrejon to reach agreements with nearby Wayuu indigenous communities reg...
Apr 06, 2023•2 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Wednesday April 5, 2023 Brazilian gangs are believed to be behind the surging violence in the Colombia-Brazil-Peru tri-border area, as they fight for control of the key drug trafficking corridor. Local news outlet La Silla Vacía reported that two people were killed and two others wounded in Leticia, the capital city of Colombia’s Amazonas department, between March 24 and March 26, while a Colombian national was killed in Tabatinga, the Brazili...
Apr 05, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Tuesday April 4, 2023 Residents living on the upper slopes of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia are being evacuated due to an increase in seismic activity. Colombia's Geological Service has raised the alert level from yellow to orange, warning that a major eruption could occur in the coming days or weeks. This is a worrying development as the volcano caused Colombia's deadliest natural disaster in 1985, when an eruption caused snow on it...
Apr 04, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Friday March 31, 2023 Colombia is making progress in removing 70 hippos left behind by the late druglord Pablo Escobar, but the task comes with a hefty price tag of $3.5 million. These African beasts were brought to Colombia in the late 1980s and have since multiplied to 150 animals, causing havoc in their environment. The authorities plan to capture and move nearly half of them, with 10 going to a sanctuary in northern Mexico and 60 to India....
Mar 31, 2023•2 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Thursday March 30, 2023 Nine soldiers have been killed and nine others wounded in an attack on a military unit in Colombia. The attack took place in El Carmen, in Norte de Santander state, and the attackers used long-range weapons and improvised explosive devices. The National Liberation Army, or ELN, is suspected to be behind the attack. President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and called for consultations with government negotiators and ...
Mar 30, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Wednesday March 29, 2023 The Colombian Navy has rescued five Venezuelan migrants, including a pregnant woman and a minor, who were stranded on a small Caribbean island after being abandoned by human traffickers en route to the United States. The group paid $1,200 to the traffickers and departed from the San Andres archipelago in Colombian waters, with plans to continue their journey overland to the US. Instead, they were left stranded on Cayo ...
Mar 29, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Tuesday March 28, 2023 Colombia could become the latest country to ban bullfighting as the nation's House of Representatives considers legislation introduced by Senator Andrea Padilla, a long-time animal rights activist. The Senate has already approved the measure that would ban the practice within three years and impose immediate reforms on bullfighting shows. The legislation bars the use of some weapons and the killing of the animal, but sup...
Mar 28, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Monday March 27, 2023 Colombian President Gustavo Petro has admitted that his country shares the blame for the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. Moise was killed by a group of Colombian mercenaries, which worsened Haiti's already dire political and economic crises. Petro said that Colombia has a co-responsibility because Haiti helped it become a country in the past, and Colombian mercenaries were involved in the as...
Mar 27, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Thursday March 16, 2023 In central Colombia, rescuers and miners worked against the clock to save ten workers trapped in a coal mine after an explosion killed at least 11 people. With oxygen running low, family members of the trapped miners waited outside the mine, hoping for good news. Over 100 rescuers were involved in the search, with Governor Nicolas Garcia calling it a "difficult" operation. The blast happened when accumulated gases in th...
Mar 16, 2023•2 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Tuesday March 14, 2023 The Gulf Clan criminal group has been accused by President Gustavo Petro of violating a ceasefire agreement by attacking an aqueduct during protests by illegal gold miners. The protests resulted in roadblocks that affected up to 300,000 people across 12 municipalities in Colombia’s Antioquia and Cordoba provinces, causing shortages of fuel, food, and medicine. The Gulf Clan reached a truce with the government last year a...
Mar 14, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Monday March 13, 2023 Venezuela has extradited former congresswoman Aida Merlano to Colombia to serve her 15-year prison sentence and act as a key witness in high-profile corruption cases. Merlano fled to Venezuela in 2019 after a jailbreak and has since testified against former Senate President Arturo Char, who is being investigated for vote-buying. Merlano has also made allegations of political corruption in Colombia, particularly in the Car...
Mar 13, 2023•2 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Friday March 10, 2023 Colombia and Ecuador have launched a joint security alert system to protect Indigenous and environmental activists near their shared border. This move comes as new data from the UN's Colombian office reveals that at least 116 activists were killed last year, up from 100 in 2021. The UN report also highlights a rise in massacres, defined as the killing of three or more people at once, from 78 in 2021 to 92 last year. Sadly...
Mar 10, 2023•3 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Thursday March 2, 2023 Declassified CIA report reveals Colombia's army was behind the "narco-terrorism" that plagued Medellin in the 1980s, contradicting decades of government propaganda. According to the report, local authorities were behind many of the assassinations and massacres in Medellin from the mid-80s to the early 2000s. The terror campaign was coordinated by the 4th Brigade's intelligence chief, lieutenant colonel Plinio Correa, and...
Mar 02, 2023•2 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Wednesday March 1, 2023 Low-cost airline Viva Air has suspended its operations in Colombia and Peru, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in airports with little support. The airline, owned by the same group that owns Ryanair, grounded its flights after Colombian authorities delayed approving its requested merger with Avianca, Colombia’s main carrier. Viva claims it has given plenty of evidence of its dire financial situation and that it c...
Mar 01, 2023•2 min
These are the trending news headlines in Colombia on Tuesday Feb 28, 2023 Colombia is set to participate in the 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which begins today in Geneva, Switzerland. The country's mission will take the approach of "Total Peace" to address violence and achieve justice in social, environmental, and economic spheres. Colombia's participation in this forum demonstrates its commitment to respecting and guaranteeing human rights, while also presenting nati...
Feb 28, 2023•3 min
These are some of the Trending news in Colombia on Thursday February 23rd, 2023. In Colombia, recent violence has impeded efforts to de-mine the country, putting rural populations at risk. Armed groups have scattered thousands of explosive devices across rural areas over the last six decades of conflict. The conflict has entered a new phase as armed groups have proliferated, and reports suggest that more landmines are being sown into Colombia's soil, putting civilian populations increasingly at ...
Feb 23, 2023•2 min
These are some of the Trending news in Colombia on Wednesday February 22nd, 2023. Colombia's government is set to begin talks with two dissident groups founded by former FARC rebels who reject the 2016 peace deal. The country's top peace official has said that the initial phase of coming together and building confidence is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, leading to the start of the dialogue phase. The government has already resumed peace talks with the National Liberation Army rebe...
Feb 21, 2023•2 min
These are some of the Trending news in Colombia on Tuesday February 23rd, 2023. China has been accused of using surveillance balloons for espionage activities in Colombia. A mysterious Chinese balloon was spotted floating at 55,000 feet in Colombia's airspace in February. The Colombian defense establishment insisted that the balloon posed no threat to the country's sovereignty or air security. However, the Pentagon stated that the balloon was deployed by China for surveillance purposes, and it s...
Feb 20, 2023•3 min
These are some of the Trending news in Colombia on Thursday February 16 2023. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is facing serious allegations, as US prosecution evidence suggests that its agents were involved in exporting cocaine from Colombia in 2017. In a letter to a New York judge, US Attorney Damian Williams accused the DEA of conspiring to traffic tons of cocaine, with evidence indicating that the DEA coordinated the export of the drug from Colombia's Prosecutor General's Office ...
Feb 16, 2023•2 min
These are some of the Trending news in Colombia on Wednesday February 15, 2023. Colombia’s former top financial crimes prosecutor, Ana Catalina Noguera, was arrested on corruption charges, accused of extorting drug traffickers wanted by the US. Noguera was arrested alongside a colonel and two other members of the National Police's international cooperation unit. The Prosecutor General’s Office claims the officials demanded money from drug traffickers to block their extradition. Noguera was a con...
Feb 14, 2023•3 min
