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
We’ve already noted that Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez says he is seeking a “strategic alliance” with Russia. Now he weighs in decisively for Moscow in the Georgian crisis. VenezuelAnalysis reports Aug. 15, that upon his arrival in Paraguay the previous night… Read moreChávez charges US intervention in Georgia
Bolivia reached a “friendly” agreement Aug. 8 to compensate Royal Dutch Shell for its stake in the nationalized gas pipeline company Transredes. The accord was signed by Energy Minister Carlos Villegas and Shell representative Jose Maria Linardi in the presence… Read moreBolivia, Shell Oil reach pipeline compensation deal
The Colombian government should ensure an independent investigation into misuse of the Red Cross emblem by security forces during the July 2 hostage rescue operation, Human Rights Watch said Aug. 7. A videotape made public Aug. 4 shows a soldier… Read moreColombia: investigate “misuse” of Red Cross insignia
