Colombian authorities have seized and safely deactivated a commercial drone carrying improvised explosive materials just 5.4 kilometers from Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport and the nearby Military Air Transport Command (CATAM), raising fresh security concerns in the capital three weeks before the country’s May 31 presidential election. The discovery marks a significant escalation from recent […]
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Colombia’s 2021 National Strike violence was coordinated with illegal armed groups
A landmark ruling by the Superior Tribunal of Bogotá has delivered one of the strongest judicial rebukes yet of the narrative surrounding Colombia’s 2021 National Strike, concluding that some of the most destructive episodes of violence during the protests were not spontaneous acts of social unrest but part of a coordinated criminal strategy involving illegal […]
Drone sighting forces second suspension of flights at Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport in one week
Colombia’s busiest airport, Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport, was forced to suspend operations early on Thursday after authorities detected a drone near the runway approach path, marking the second disruption in the same week and raising renewed concerns over aviation security at one of Latin America’s busiest air hubs. The latest incident occurred at 5:20 […]
Colombia Elections: Cepeda Leads, Valencia Doubles in Race Down to Three
With just over a month to go before Colombia’s May 31 presidential election, a new Invamer poll suggests the race has narrowed to three viable contenders, as left-wing senator Iván Cepeda strengthens his lead and two right-wing rivals battle for a place in the runoff. The survey, conducted for Noticias Caracol and Blu Radio, shows […]
Colombia reels from worst terrorist attack in decades as Petro celebrates birthday
Colombians are expressing outrage and grief after a bombing attributed to dissident factions of the former FARC killed 20 people and left injured 46, marking the country’s deadliest attack in over a decade. The blast on Saturday afternoon tore through a stretch of the Pan-American Highway near Cajibío, in the southwestern department of Cauca, leaving […]
‘Invisible narco’ who enabled Tren de Aragua’s entry into Bogotá captured in police operation
Colombian authorities have captured the alleged crime boss “Mison,” also known as the “invisible narco”, who played a key role in facilitating the arrival of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua in the capital Bogotá The suspect, also known as “El Viejo,” was detained in Ecuador and handed over to Colombian authorities at the […]
Petro severs ties with Central Bank after Colombia rate rise
President Gustavo Petro has triggered a rare institutional confrontation with the Central Bank after he ordered to “break relations” following an modest interest rate increase, raising concerns over economic policy independence just two months before the May 31 presidential election. The board of Banco de la República voted on March 31 to raise its benchmark […]
Petro faces fresh political crisis after leaked audios link officials to alleged smuggler
Fresh audio revelations broadcast by Noticias Caracol have triggered a political storm in Colombia, implicating senior government-linked figures in alleged secret contacts with one of the country’s most notorious smugglers, Diego Marín Buitrago. The recordings, aired late on April 5, appear to document meetings between intermediaries connected to President Gustavo Petro and the legal representative […]
Colombia on brink of outlawing female genital mutilation in landmark vote
Colombia is on the verge of banning female genital mutilation (FGM), as lawmakers advance legislation that would outlaw a practice still reported in parts of the country, making it the only nation in Latin America where cases have been documented. In a unanimous decision, the First Commission of the Senate approved the bill in its […]
FARC dissident ‘Iván Mordisco’ alive but wounded after major military bombardment
Colombia’s security forces believe FARC dissident leader Iván Mordisco is alive but seriously wounded following a major aerial bombardment in the remote department of Vaupés, dealing a significant blow to one of the country’s most powerful armed groups. Uncertainty over the fate of Mordisco — whose real name is Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández — mounted […]
American Airlines flight attendant missing in Medellín prompts cross-border search
The disappearance of a U.S. flight attendant during a brief layover in Medellín has sparked an urgent search involving Colombian authorities, airline officials and U.S. representatives, as questions mount over his final hours in the city. Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, an American Airlines crew member based in Dallas-Fort Worth, arrived in Colombia’s second-largest city […]
U.S. prosecutors probe Colombia’s Petro over alleged narco links, NYT reports
U.S. federal prosecutors have opened preliminary criminal investigations into Colombian President Gustavo Petro over alleged links to drug traffickers and possible illicit financing of his 2022 campaign, according to a report by The New York Times. The previously undisclosed probes are being conducted by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn and involve specialists in international […]
Colombia arrests “mastermind” of Ecuador candidate Villavicencio’s murder
Colombian authorities on Wednesday arrested Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, alias “Lobo Menor”, an alleged senior figure in the Ecuadorian criminal group Los Lobos and suspected intellectual author behind the 2023 assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The arrest took place at El Dorado International Airport, where Aguilar Morales arrived on a commercial flight from […]
Colombia – Ecuador rift widens over cross-border bombings
President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador on Monday of carrying out bombing raids inside Colombian territory, sharply escalating a diplomatic and trade dispute that has been simmering since January. Petro said “27 charred bodies” have been found near the border and suggested the attacks could not have been carried out by illegal armed groups, though he […]
Colombia bars 10 foreigners in single-day crackdown on suspected sex tourism
Colombia’s migration authority Migración Colombia denied entry last week to 10 foreign nationals suspected of seeking sex tourism, marking the largest single-day refusal of its kind at Medellín’s main international gateway, officials said. The individuals — nine from the United States and one from Anguilla — were stopped at José María Córdova International Airport on […]
Suspected drone attack disrupts high-level visit to Colombia’s Hidroituango
Colombia’s security forces alerted late Sunday Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez and Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián Rendón to cancel a planned visit to the Hidroituango hydroelectric complex for Monday, March 2, after intelligence warnings of a possible drone attack and credible terrorist threat. The visit, which included a press conference expected to draw around 100 journalists, […]