The Andes
Colombia: FARC ends unilateral ceasefire
Colombia’s FARC rebels announced the immediate end of a two-month unilateral ceasefire and renewed its call for a bilateral truce to hold peace talks with the government.
Tag: narco wars
North Africa
Algeria: army raids gas complex seized by jihadists
Algerian military forces attacked the Amenas gas complex in the interior Sahara, where a breakaway faction of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb took dozens of hostages.
Mexico
Peace of the graveyard in Ciudad Juárez?
Violent deaths in Ciudad Juárez dropped to 800 last year, down from a peak of 3,622 in 2010—likely because the Sinaloa Cartel has finally crushed local rival, the Juárez Cartel.
The Andes
Bolivia wins coca-chewing victory at UN
Bolivia was re-admitted to the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs —with a special dispensation recognizing traditional use of coca leaf as legal within its borders.
Mexico
Hezbollah link to Zapatistas? Not!
An Israeli press account plays a cynical game of connect-the-dots to link Hezbollah and the Zetas to the Zapatista rebels in Chiapas. Don't believe the hype.
Southeast Asia
Burma: new airstrikes on Kachin rebels
Burma's army claimed responsibility for air-strikes against Kachin rebel positions in the north—less than a day after the government denied the strikes had taken place.
The Andes
Bolivia: progress seen in coca policy
Total area planted with coca in Bolivia dropped by up to 13% last year, as both eradication efforts and the areas where coca can be legally cultivated were expanded.
The Andes
Bolivia: prison corruption scandal widens
A Brooklyn businessman was freed from prison in Bolivia on money-laundering charges after he accused authorities of extorting him and illegally seizing his goods.
Mexico
Mexico: bloody Christmas in Michoacán, Sinaloa
A spate of shootouts between rival cartels and police forces left over 20 dead around the Christmas holiday in the Mexican states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Sinaloa.
Mexico
Mexico: analysts compare Newtown killings and ‘drug war’ deaths
“It is shocking how the debate over gun control in the wake of the Newtown massacre has avoided mentioning gun violence south of the border”: UNAM professor John M. Ackerman.
Mexico
Mexico: prison seized by army after uprising
A prison in northern Mexico’s Durango has been siezed by the military after an armed uprising by inmates left nine guards and 14 prisoners dead.
Mexico
HSBC gets off easy in ‘drug war’ case
HSBC, Europe’s largest bank, will pay the US government $1.92 billion in fines for its failure to prevent the laundering of drug money—but no one will face criminal charges.