Tag: The Andes

The Andes
ELN

US strike on ELN in Venezuela?

Days after a strike on a camp within Venezuelan territory allegedly used by the ELN—Colombia’s largest active rebel group—information emerged that US drones and intelligence had played a crucial role. But the extent of US involvement in the operation remains unclear. The New York Times reported that the US “assisted” the Venezuelan military in the attack in the border state of Apure, which killed at least 23 people. While the Times quoted unnamed US officials saying the drone was likely piloted by US forces, it characterized the attack as a “joint operation” and cast it as the second since June, when the Tren de Aragua leader was killed. However, local NGO FundaRedes, which first reported the attack, contended the strike was carried out by US forces alone. The strike comes as the Trump administration pushes the Venezuelan government to sign a status of forces agreement to enable US forces to stay in the country more permanently. (Photo: Colombia Reports)

The Andes
Barrancabermeja

Colombia: state oil company named in war crimes

UN experts welcomed a ruling by Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) relating to Macro-Case 08, recognizing the responsibility of a director of parastatal oil company Ecopetrol and several state agents for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious human rights violations. The ruling concerns abuses committed during the armed conflict in and around the refinery city of Barrancabermeja in the late 1990s that saw several people abducted and presumably killed by right-wing paramilitaries. “The JEP’s decision represents a significant step forward for truth, justice and accountability regarding the impacts of corporate activities in conflict-affected contexts,” the experts stated. (Photo: Crystalarts via Wikimedia Commons)

The Andes
Colombia

US troops to Colombia

More than 300 US troops arrived in Colombia to take part in a series of joint military operations known as “Southern Vanguard.” The exercises, to focus on tackling drug trafficking and illegal mining, have stirred controversy in the country given the possibility that US troops could conduct joint strikes on Colombian soil, after the new right-wing government of President Abelardo de la Espriella agreed to such an arrangement. The left opposition argues that the presence of foreign troops needs congressional approval. (Map: PCL)

The Andes
Bogotá

Colombia: protests greet new far-right president

Thousands of Colombians peacefully rallied across the country against the far-right policies of President Abelardo de la Espriella, little more than two months after he took office. They criticized his proposed social spending cuts, his alignment with Trump, and his hardline military approach to decades of armed-group violence. Earlier this month, de la Espriella announced a “counterterrorism statute” that many fear could restrict democratic rights. (Photo: AlexaRochi via AnalisisUrbano)

The Andes

Colombia authorizes joint US strikes

ColombiaColombia formally joined the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), a US-led regional initiative under the rubric of the so-called "Shield of the Americas." US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that new far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella had authorized joint "counter-terrorism" operations, a move that opens the door to US-led strikes on Colombian territory, which Hegseth said has already been discussed. De la Espriella’s granting of permission to US troops to operate within Colombia is likely unconstitutional—the transit and operation of foreign troops on Colombian soil requires Congressional approval. The agreement was formalized in Panama, where Hegseth spent two days meeting with the A3C's 19 partner members, deepening ties, and rallying opposition to the International Criminal Court, which he accused of launching a "lawless power grab" by potentially investigating US strikes in the region, a step it has not yet taken. (Map: PCL)

The Andes

Colombia earthquake strikes at challenging time

ColombiaAid organizations responding to the powerful earthquake that hit Colombia face significant challenges, including difficulties accessing some of the worst-hit areas in remote western regions that have been seeing rising violence. The quake comes as Colombia was already facing its worst humanitarian crisis in years. In Chocó department, where the earthquake's epicenter is located, restrictions on humanitarian aid by illegal armed groups are common. The region is not only one of the poorest in the country but also one of the hardest hit by armed conflict. (Map: OpenStreetMap via The New Humanitarian)

The Andes

UN mission urges Venezuela to reverse ICC withdrawal

ICCThe United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela called on the Venezuelan government to reverse its decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), warning that leaving the ICC would weaken accountability for serious human rights violations and limit victims' access to justice. (Photo: Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons)

The Andes

Rights abuses seen in US-Ecuador joint operations

EcuadorHuman Rights Watch released a report detailing four attacks on Ecuadorian persons, properties and vessels that they attribute to an intensified counter-narcotics campaign led by the US with the partnership of the Ecuadorian government. The first attack took place in March on the farming community of San Martín, Sucumbíos province, and was confirmed by the US government as a partnered military operation. The remaining three incidents took place at sea, off Ecuador’s Pacific coast. They are the January disappearance of the Fiorella, an Ecuadorian fishing vessel, and March drone attacks on two other fishing vessels, La Negra Francisco Duarte II and the Don Maca. The US has denied responsibility in these maritime strikes. (Image: Nicolas Raymond via Flickr)

The Andes

US pushes ‘Donroe Doctrine’ at Cuzco defense summit

CuzcoRepresentatives from over 30 countries gathered in the Peruvian city of Cuzco for the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas, where top Pentagon official Elbridge Colby used the occasion to defend the "Donroe Doctrine." As at other regional security summits, including the "Shield of the Americas" conference held in Florida in March, Trump officials cast drug trafficking and irregular migration as threats to US security, urged regional governments to increase military spending, and called for deeper security collaboration with Washington. An increasing number of the right-wing governments in attendance have embraced closer military ties with the United States through joint strikes and new military bases—even as militarized policies fail to curb organized crime and violence in countries like Ecuador, a key testing ground for the administration's renewed war on "narcoterrorism." (Photo: Martin St-Amant via Wikimedia Commons)

The Andes

Peru: UN protests military ‘impunity’ bill

CongressoUN human rights chief Volker Türk urged the government of Peru to refrain from adopting a draft law that grants military jurisdictions the authority to investigate and prosecute possible human rights violations. Türk stressed that human rights violations should be handled by independent and impartial courts, as required by international law and UN standards. Türk warned of potential for impunity and violations of internationally protected rights, such as the right to an effective remedy and the right to a fair trial. (Photo: Protontorniyo via Wikimedia Commons)

The Andes

Peru: ‘Mass of Reparation’ for abuses of Catholic society

PiuraA delegation from the Vatican—including cardinals and bishops—joined representatives of the Catholic Church in Peru to kneel before local campesinos and ask their forgiveness at a "Mass of Reparation" held at the parish of San Juan Bautista in Catacaos, Piura region. A Vatican investigation found that the Tallán indigenous communities of the parish for over a decade suffered land expropriation, physical threats and other abuses at the hands of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae. The lay society, better known as "Sodalicio," was among the most active Catholic movements in Latin America from the early 1970s until it was suppressed by order of Pope Francis in April 2025. (Photo: Vatican News)

The Andes

Colombia: growing toll from armed conflict

ColombiaIn its latest annual report, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) found that the armed conflict in Colombia saw the "worst humanitarian consequences" of the past decade in 2025. The number of people killed or injured by explosive devices rose by 34% to 965, overwhelmingly non-combatants. The number of individual disappearances doubled to 308. Violations of international humanitarian law documented by the ICRC reached 845 cases, while figures for displacement and "confinement" doubled. According to the Comprehensive Victim Support & Reparation Unit (UARIV), at least 235,619 people were displaced individually in 2025, while 87,069 were displaced in mass displacement events, and 176,730 remained "confined" in communities under siege by armed actors. (Map: PCL)