The Andes
Colombians re-mobilize for peace
Thousands marched for peace across Colombia as President Manuel Santos was awared the Nobel prize for his accord with the FARC—despite its rejection in a plebiscite.
Tag: paramilitaries
Southeast Asia
Philippines: more Duterte death-squad links revealed
A former death-squad hitman testified to the Philippine Senate that extrajudicial executions in Mindanao were personally ordered by now-president Rodrigo Duterte.
Iraq
More US troops to Iraq —on whose side?
The Pentagon will send 600 additional troops to Iraq to help in the offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS—but it is unclear if they will be backing Shi'ite, Sunni or Kurdish forces.
The Andes
Colombia: FARC peace deal signed in Cartagena
Colombia's long civil war came to an official end as President Juan Manuel Santos met with FARC leader "Timochenko" in the Caribbean port of Cartagena to sign a formal peace pact.
The Andes
Colombia: official apology for ‘political genocide’
In a public ceremony in Bogotá, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos asked forgiveness for the state's role in the systematic killings of leftist activists in the 1980s.
The Andes
Fracking opponents threatened in Colombia
A peasant community in Colombia's Cesar department has been threatened with legal action by oil giant ConocoPhillips for blocking roads to prevent development of a fracking site.
Greater Middle East
Syria: aerial terror continues despite ‘ceasefire’
Days after the supposed Syria "ceasefire" took effect, Assad regime and Russian warplanes carried out multiple air-strikes on rebel-held towns, leaving some 20 dead.
The Andes
Coca-Cola faces terrorism charges in Colombia
Coca-Cola is one of more than 50 companies to be charged with financing the now-disbanded Colombian paramilitary network AUC, a designated terrorist organization.
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.
Southern Cone
Argentina: ex-general gets life in ‘dirty war’ trial
A court in the Argentine province of Córdoba handed life sentences to 28 former military officers over "crimes against humanity" committed under the dictatorship.
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
Colombia: terror targets indigenous leaders
A total of 18 indigenous campesinos in Colombia's Cauca region have been killed this year, in a paramilitary campaign of intimidation against land recovery efforts.