Latest News

White House Wants Petro to Retract Claims Of “Colombian Deaths” in Narco Strike

By Richard Emblin - October 9, 2025

The White House said it would “welcome” a public retraction from Colombian President Gustavo Petro after he accused the U.S. military of killing Colombian citizens during a recent naval strike in the Caribbean, calling his remarks “baseless and reprehensible.” The clash underscores a widening diplomatic rift that now extends to international waters, deepening already strained […]

Maduro Seeks Dialogue with U.S, Petro Sidelined at UN

By Richard Emblin - September 22, 2025

Colombia’s Gustavo Petro is in New York ahead of the United Nation’s General Assembly. Petro trip to the U.S comes as Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro seeks to engage the Trump administration in dialogue, despite the military arsenal targeting drug boats in the Caribbean.

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.

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.

Petro Under Pressure as Venezuela Moves 15,000 Troops Toward Border

By Richard Emblin - August 25, 2025

Tensions are rising across the hemisphere after Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that 15,000 troops will be sent to the border with Colombia as the U.S Navy presence in the Caribbean intensifies.

Petro Tells Trump That Military Action in Venezuela is “Worst Mistake”

By The City Paper Staff - August 20, 2025

Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned U.S. President Donald Trump that military action in Venezuela would be the “worst mistake,” after Washington deployed three warships to the Caribbean. Petro said an intervention risked dragging Colombia into a Syria-like conflict while fueling regional instability.

U.S warships near Venezuela: Is Latin America’s left facing a reckoning?

By Richard Emblin - August 19, 2025

The United States has deployed three guided-missile destroyers to waters off Venezuela, escalating tensions with Nicolás Maduro, who has mobilised 4.5 million militia members. The move comes as Colombia mourns Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay a close ally of the Trump administration.

Washington Delegation to Attend Funeral of Slain Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe

By Richard Emblin - August 12, 2025

U.S President Donald Trump is sending a high-level delegation to Bogotá in the wake of the killing of Colombian opposition leader Miguel Uribe Turbay. The delegation will attend Wednesday’s funeral mass for the Senator and sends a direct message to President Petro after he showed solidarity with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Does Colombia’s “Binational Zone” with Venezuela Legitimize an Illegitimate Regime?

By Richard Emblin - July 24, 2025

Colombia and Venezuela have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a “binational zone of peace, unity, and development” along their shared border. Former President Álvaro Uribe called the initiative “unacceptable” and described it as a step toward surrendering Colombian sovereignty

Petro wants to revive Bolívar’s dream of a 21st-Century Gran Colombia

By Richard Emblin - May 25, 2025

Colombian President Gustavo Petro renewed calls to rebuild Gran Colombia as a 21st-century regional alliance. Speaking in Ecuador, he proposed integration with Venezuela and Panama, advocating for shared citizenship, digital infrastructure, and energy cooperation, while warning of rising authoritarianism and foreign interference in Latin America.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to visit Colombia amid tensions over mass deportations

By The City Paper Staff - March 26, 2025

In the first high-level visit by a member of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new administration, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia on Thursday in Bogotá.

Colombia’s gas agenda at risk with US tariffs on Venezuelan energy imports

By Richard Emblin - March 25, 2025

The U.S. objective to impose secondary tariffs on all countries purchasing Venezuelan oil and gas has stalled President Petro’s plans for greater energy integration. Petro has urged Ecopetrol to explore Qatari gas imports amid rising domestic shortages and potential trade tensions with Washington.

Colombia’s top Grammy Artists banned from entering Maduro’s Venezuela

By The City Paper Staff - March 5, 2025

The Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro has banned prominent Colombian Grammy-winning artists, including Juanes, Carlos Vives, Maluma, and Silvestre Dangond, from entering the country. The ba announced by Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Minister of the Interior, accuses the artists of supporting the opposition and inciting political instability.

Is Maduro establishing a stronghold in Colombia’s Catatumbo using ELN as a proxy?

By Richard Emblin - January 22, 2025

The humanitarian crisis in Catatumbo deepens as violence between the ELN and FARC dissidents forces 32,000 to flee. Critics of the dictatorship believe Maduro’s regime is leveraging the ELN to establish dominance over Colombia’s border region, exploiting its strategic drug-trafficking routes. With Venezuelan troops stationed nearby and accusations of direct support for armed groups, concerns grow over Maduro’s ambitions to extend his influence into Colombian territory.

As Trump inauguration looms, Venezuela’s political crisis tests Petro Government

By Richard Emblin - January 14, 2025

Colombia faces escalating tensions with Venezuela as former President Álvaro Uribe advocates U.N-backed military intervention. As President-elect Trump’s inauguration looms, questions about U.S. policy toward the crisis and regional diplomatic strategies under his leadership remain unclear.