The Andes
Colombia: will paras fill post-FARC power vacuum?
Rights groups see an urgent threat that criminal gangs and paramilitary groups will fill the power vacuum in remote areas of Colombia as the FARC is demobilized.
Tag: paramilitaries
Europe
Karadzic conviction sparks protests in Belgrade
The Hague tribunal found Radovan Karadzic guilty of genocide on the anniversary of the start of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign against Serbia—to angry protests in Belgrade.
Southeast Asia
Anti-drug vigilantes heat up Burma’s opium zone
With poppy harvest season approaching, tensions are high in Burma's Kachin state following clashes between opium-growing peasants and a citizen anti-drug movement.
The Andes
Colombia: campesinos still under attack
Despite the peace process in Colombia, assassinations continue against leaders of the country's campesino and indigenous communities who stand up to landed interests.
The Andes
Colombia: scion snared for paramilitarism
Colombian police agents arrested Santiago Uribe, brother of ex-president Álvaro Uribe, for alleged involvement in the bloody "12 Apostles" paramilitary group.
The Andes
Indigenous role seen in FARC demobilization
Leaders of Colombia's indigenous peoples have volunteered to have their autonomous authorities oversee the controversial "demobilization zones" for FARC fighters.
Mexico
Pressure on Mexico to free ‘community police’ leader
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a ruling that Mexico's imprisonment of Guerrero "community police" leader Nestora Salgado is illegal.
Central America
Guatemala: harsh terms for crimes against humanity
A retired army officer and an ex-paramilitary were sentenced to 120 years and 240 years, respectively, for sexual slavery and crimes against humanity during Guatemala's civil war.
The Andes
Plan Colombia to become ‘Peace Colombia’?
At their White House meeting, Obama and Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos proposed a "Marshall Plan" for the post-conflict era, to be dubbed "Peace Colombia."
The Andes
Colombia: war crimes at issue in FARC talks
Amid concerns over impunity for past atrocities in Colombia's peace process, cases are pending against fighters from the FARC, national army and paramilitaries alike.
The Andes
DEA sees Hezbollah link to Colombian cartel
The DEA claims that Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah is laundering money for the "Oficina de Envigado," successor organization to Colombia's legendary Medellín Cartel.
The Andes
New post-conflict ‘Plan Colombia’ foreseen
President Juan Manuel Santos meets at the White House with Barack Obama to mark 15 years since the initiation of the Plan Colombia—and discuss a "post-conflict" aid package.