Bolivia’s opposition governors in the eastern lowlands Sept. 3 demanded the national government withdraw its forces from Trinidad, the capital of Beni department, accusing them of repression at a youth protest occupation of the National Tax Service offices. The building… Read moreBolivia: eastern governors demand withdrawal of national army
Venezuela Aug. 31 rejected US requests to resume Drug War cooperation, saying Washington should focus on slashing demand for drugs at home rather than blaming setbacks on other nations’ supposed lack of cooperation. “The anti-drug fight in Venezuela has shown… Read moreVenezuela refuses renewed Drug War cooperation
A car bomb exploded early Sept. 1 near the Palace of Justice in Cali, Colombia, killing four and wounding up to 20. The dead were identified as one police officer and three street vendors. Authorities said they suspect the blast… Read moreColombia: deadly car blast in Cali
Venezuelan National Guard troops in Maracaibo Sept. 4 captured fugitive former Colombian senator, CĂ©sar department governor and national agriculture minister Alvaro Araujo Noguera, 75. Araujo Noguera, who had been wanted for a year and a half, is expected to be… Read moreFugitive Colombian para-pol busted in Venezuela
President Hugo Chávez announced a measure to nationalize wholesale gasoline distribution in Venezuela—despite the lobbying of British Petroleum, Exxon Mobil and Chevron, whose local subsidiaries currently control the business. Under the measure, which received initial approval in the National Assembly… Read moreChávez to nationalize oil distro, move towards “Gas Revolution”
President Evo Morales announced Aug. 24 he has put all of Bolivia’s gas and oil installations under military protection, as protesters in Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Tarija departments prepare new actions to resist national control of the hydrocarbon resources. “I’ve… Read moreBolivia: Evo sends army to oil installations
A 24-hour general strike in Bolivia’s opposition-controlled departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Tarija and Chuquisaca Aug. 19 paralyzed a large swath of the country’s east. Clashes broke out in the city of Santa Cruz, where protesters armed with sticks… Read moreBolivia: opposition strike shuts down five departments
On Aug. 8 the Colombian Attorney General’s Office arrested sociologist Liliana (or Liliany) Patricia Obando Villota in Bogotá on charges of organizing events and managing money for the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). On Aug. 9 the Attorney… Read moreColombia: opposition figures targeted for supposed links to FARC
The government of Colombian president Alvaro Uribe continues to be plagued by the parapolĂtica (“parapolitics”) scandal, in which some 60 members of Congress have been linked to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a right-wing paramilitary group that is… Read moreColombia: revelations in “parapolitics” scandal link armed forces chief to AUC
Five opposition governors are declaring a strike next week in Bolivia, vowing to “radicalize” tactics after talks with President Evo Morales broke down. The governors are asking Morales to refund state shares of oil and natural gas income that his… Read moreBolivia: opposition calls civil strike in wake of recall vote
Colombia’s decades-long civil war, US-backed anti-drug measures and resource-hungry multinational corporations are pushing the country’s indigenous peoples towards “extinction,” local leaders warn. War alone uproots 20,000 Indians from their ancestral homes each year, according to the UN High Commissioner for… Read moreColombia: indigenous groups face “extinction”
Seven people were killed and nearly 50 wounded, including several children, in the most serious Colombian terror attack this year, when a bomb hidden in a trash can exploded at Ituango, a small town in Antioquia department, as residents celebrated… Read moreFARC’s international supporters targeted after Colombia terror blast
