The Andes
Colombia: para terror despite FARC ceasefire
Five campesino leaders were assassinated by presumed paramilitary hitmen on the same day that the Colombian government's official ceasefire with the FARC took effect.
Tag: narco wars
Southeast Asia
Philippines: ‘state of lawlessness’ after Davao blast
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared a "state of lawlessness" after a deadly bomb blast at a market in the southern city of Davao by the ISIS-affiliated Abu Sayyaf group.
Mexico
Mexico: mothers unearth clandestine burial sites
A group of mothers in Veracruz who came together to search for missing loved ones announced the disovery of 28 clandestine graves with remains of some 40 bodies.
The Andes
Colombia: illegal mining the ‘new coca’?
Outlaw mining operations are a growing sideline for Colombia's narco networks, in a nexus with paramilitaries and companies operating on the margins of the law.
The Andes
Bogotá: controversy over urban clearance
Authorities in Bogotá began demolishing a notorious district near the city center locally known as "the Bronx"—but seemingly no plans were made for the displaced residents.
Mexico
Mexico rights commission: 22 civilians ‘executed’
According to a report issued by Mexico's independent National Human Rights Commission, 22 civilians were executed during a May 2015 drug raid in Michoacán.
The Andes
Peru: tens of thousands march against femicide
A national march to oppose "femicide" and violence against women—under the slogan Ni Una Menos or "Not One Less"—brought tens of thousands to the streets of Lima.
The Andes
Coca cultivation down in Peru, soars in Colombia
Once again, gains against coca production in one of the two big Andean producers have only squeezed production into the other one, in a case of the "balloon effect."
The Andes
FARC threatens to disavow renegade units
A threat to the Colombian peace talks emerged as some FARC units unilaterally attacked government forces and declared their non-compliance with the ceasefire.
The Andes
Colombia: cocaine mega-busts keep coming
Amid moves toward peace in Colombia, the goad of the war—the country's lucrative cocaine trade—clearly remains robust, as record-breaking hauls are reported.
Southern Cone
Paraguay: demand freedom for massacre survivors
Rights activists in Paraguay are demanding acquittal of 11 peasants facing charges related to the 2012 massacre at Curuguaty, which led to removal of the country's leftist president.
Mexico
This year’s other gay bar massacre —in Mexico
Following the horrific massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Latin American media are recalling a similar attack this year—in Xalapa, capital of Mexico's Veracruz state.