Colombia court orders penalties for President, cites national park
Bogota, ColombiaReuters A court in Colombia has ordered President Ivan Duque to be fined and placed under house arrest for five days, it said on Saturday, citing the Andean country’s leader failure to comply with a previous ruling that demanded he protect a national park. Experts say the order by the court in Ibague, the […]
FARC dissidents responsible for bombing that killed two children, says Colombia’s Duque
Bogota, ColombiaReuters Colombian President Ivan Duque on Monday accused former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who reject a peace deal of setting off explosives at a police station which killed two children and injured 39 others in Bogota. The Saturday night attack was the worst in the capital since another rebel […]
Updated: At least 23 killed in armed clashes in Colombia’s Arauca, government says
Updated: 12.30pm (AEDT)Bogota, ColombiaReuters Twenty-three people have been reported killed so far in Colombia’s Arauca province amid fighting between illegal armed groups, Defense Minister Diego Molano told a news conference late on Monday. Fighting broke out over the weekend in Arauca – which sits on the border with Venezuela – as members of the National […]
Murders of activists in Colombia fell in first half, but violence persists -ombudsman
Bogota, ColombiaReuters Murders of human rights and community activists in Colombia were down to 78 in the first half of the year, the country’s human rights ombudsman said on Wednesday, but the attacks persist. The killing of activists is a top problem for the Andean country, with President Ivan Duque vowing he will not rest […]
Thousands march in Colombia as President urges rejection of violence
Bogota/Cali, ColombiaReuters Union members, students, pensioners and workers marched in anti-government protests around Colombia on Wednesday, as President Ivan Duque urged citizens to reject violence and stereotypes about demonstrators and police alike. The sometimes deadly demonstrations were initially fueled in late April by outrage at a now-cancelled tax plan. But protesters’ demands have expanded to […]
Death toll from Colombia protests rises; UN, EU call for calm
Bogota, ColombiaReuters The United Nations and European Union on Tuesday urged calm and warned of the use of excessive force amid further protests against the administration of Colombian President Ivan Duque, while local authorities in epicenter Cali reported a further five deaths and 33 injuries. The protests – originally called in opposition to a now-cancelled […]
Colombia blames armed groups for protest violence, death toll still unclear
Bogota, ColombiaReuters Colombia’s defence minister on Monday blamed illegal armed groups for looting and vandalism during five days of street protests but would not confirm how many demonstrators have died. The protests, which began last week, demanded the withdrawal of a controversial tax reform proposed by the government of President Ivan Duque, who said Sunday […]