Latest News

U.S. Deploys USS Gerald Ford to Lead Military Build-Up Near Venezuela

By The City Paper Staff - October 25, 2025

The United States is deploying its largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, to the Caribbean as part of the regional military buildup aimed at disrupting narcotics trafficking networks linked to the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro. The move marks a sharp escalation of U.S. counter-narcotics operations in Latin America and comes […]

U.S. Treasury Puts Colombia’s Petro and Close Circle on ‘Clinton List’

By The City Paper Staff - October 24, 2025

The U.S. Government moved aggressively against Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his inner circle on Friday, imposing sanctions that target his financial and political support network as relations between Washington and Bogotá struck a new low. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), also known as the Clinton List, designated Petro, First Lady […]

U.S. Senate Warns of Hezbollah Expansion in Colombia and Venezuela

By The City Paper Staff - October 23, 2025

Hezbollah’s growing foothold in Latin America has found its epicenter in Venezuela and along the porous 2,000-km long Colombia-Venezuela border, where U.S. lawmakers and former counterterrorism officials warn the militant group has built financial and logistical networks with the support of the Maduro regime and illegal armed groups. “Venezuela is a willing safe haven for […]

U.S. Destroys Drug Boat in the Pacific as Trump Expands Anti-Narco Offensive

By The City Paper Staff - October 22, 2025

The United States said it destroyed a vessel carrying narcotics in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, killing two people it described as “narco-terrorists,” in what marks the first U.S. military strike away from Caribbean waters under President Donald Trump’s expanding campaign against drug trafficking groups. “Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department […]

Trump Calls Colombia’s Petro an “Illegal Drug Leader,” Halts U.S. Aid

By The City Paper Staff - October 19, 2025

In an extraordinary escalation that threatens to end decades of strategic partnership, U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Sunday labeled Colombian President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader” and announced the immediate suspension of U.S. financial aid to Colombia. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused […]

The so-called "Congreso de los Pueblos" has occupied five government buildings this week. Photo: Richard Emblin

Bogotá: “Criminal structures” behind Congress of the Peoples protest

By The City Paper Staff - October 16, 2025

A wave of coordinated protests and building occupations by the social movement known as the “Congress of the Peoples” has raised alarms in Bogotá this week, after Interior Minister Armando Benedetti claimed that “criminal structures” are behind the unrest, pointing to alleged infiltration by armed groups, most notably the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla. The […]

Venezuelan Activists Attacked in Bogotá During Targeted Shooting

By The City Paper Staff - October 14, 2025

Two Venezuelan human rights activists living in exile in Colombia were wounded in a targeted shooting on Monday afternoon in northern Bogotá, an attack that has renewed fears over the safety of political dissidents in the country. The assault took place just days after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel […]

Medellín’s Gutiérrez clamps down on transnational mafias, bolsters U.S. ties

By The City Paper Staff - October 1, 2025

Medellín mayor Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez launched a crackdown on transnational mafias operating in Parque Lleras, vowing the city “will not be a refuge” for crime. He also met U.S. envoy John McNamara, strengthening security and trade ties as Colombia’s national government faces strained relations with Washington.

Birthrates in Colombia plunge over 30% in a decade

By The City Paper Staff - September 26, 2025

Colombia’s birthrate has plunged 31% in a decade, with just 453,901 babies born in 2024, according to the country’s statistics agency DANE. Rising living costs, lifestyle shifts and economic insecurity are driving the decline, echoing global trends.

U.S. Decertifies Colombia’s Anti-Drug Efforts, Petro on the Defensive

By The City Paper Staff - September 16, 2025

The United States has decertified Colombia’s anti-drug efforts for the first time since 1994, citing record coca crops under President Gustavo Petro. While Washington issued a waiver to maintain aid, the move risks straining a key alliance and jeopardizing $453 million in U.S. assistance.

Bogotá braces for protests and mobility havoc on Tuesday

By The City Paper Staff - September 15, 2025

Bogotá drivers from multiple sectors plan a mass protest on September 17 against Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, citing 18 grievances including corruption, insecurity, and abusive mobility policies. The demonstration threatens major traffic disruptions in Colombia’s capital.

Labor Ministry suspends Bogotá’s Andrés D.C. after safety incident

By The City Paper Staff - September 10, 2025

Colombia’s Ministry of Labor has ordered the immediate suspension of activities at Bogotá’s iconic Andrés D.C. restaurant after an inspection found safety risks. The decision follows an accident that left nine customers injured.

Petro Hardens Rhetoric on Maduro as U.S. Certification Deadline Nears

By The City Paper Staff - September 9, 2025

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has toughened his stance on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and suggested a return to aerial fumigation of coca crops after soldiers were kidnapped in Cauca, as Washington weighs whether to decertify Colombia in its anti-narcotics efforts.

CELAC Convenes Urgent Meeting Over U.S Deployment in the Caribbean

By The City Paper Staff - September 1, 2025

Colombia, as Celac chair, convened an urgent virtual meeting of regional foreign ministers to discuss U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean. Venezuela condemned the warships as a hostile threat, urging condemnation, while Bogotá stressed dialogue and respect for sovereignty amid growing regional security concerns.

Kidnapped Soldiers in Colombia’s Guaviare Running Low on Food and Water

By The City Paper Staff - August 28, 2025

Thirty-four Colombian soldiers have been held hostage for over four days in Guaviare after clashes with FARC dissidents. Surrounded by civilians, they face dwindling food and water supplies as government and international mediators work to secure their release.

U.S. Sends Nuclear Submarine USS Newport News toward Venezuela

By The City Paper Staff - August 27, 2025

The United States deployed the nuclear submarine USS Newport News and cruiser USS Lake Erie to the Caribbean, escalating tensions with Venezuela. Caracas responded with warship and troop deployments, and lodged a U.N. complaint accusing Washington of intimidation and violating disarmament commitments.