Ecuador Reels From Assassination of Fernando Villavicencio
The killing of Fernando Villavicencio marks a grim turning point for a once-tranquil country now awash in violence fueled by drug gangs.
Colombia
Amazon leaders fail to commit to end deforestation by 2030
Eight South American presidents including Brazil’s Lula say rich countries need to pledge more resources to help protect rainforestAmazon leaders have called on rich countries to help them develop a Marshall-style plan to protect the world’s largest ra…
UN bodies call for urgent action over Panama’s Darién Gap migration route
UN Refugee Agency and IOM urge steps – including more legal pathways for migrants – to curb humanitarian crisisInternational bodies have called for urgent intervention in the Darién Gap to prevent a further escalation of a humanitarian crisis as new fi…
Colombian president’s son arrested in money-laundering inquiry
Nicolás Petro held as part of investigation into funds he allegedly collected from drug traffickers during 2022 election campaignThe son of the Colombian president has been arrested s part of a high-profile money-laundering investigation into funds he …
‘Insult to his victims’: outrage as warlord appointed ‘peace manager’ in Colombia
Salvatore Mancuso, who is imprisoned in US, is responsible for more than 300 killings and is accused of about 75,000 crimesSalvatore Mancuso is one of the most notorious figures in Colombia’s six decades of conflict, responsible for some of the most he…
Venezuela’s ex-spy chief extradited from Spain to US to face drug charges
Hugo Carvajal, intelligence leader under Hugo Chávez, accused of providing support to drug trafficking by rebel Farc groupVenezuela’s former intelligence chief has been extradited from Spain to the United States where he is wanted on drug trafficking c…
German travel agency criticized for tour of Panama’s deadly jungle migrant zone
Travel startup says it doesn’t ‘holiday where people suffer’ but offers trek in Darién Gap known for dangerous migration routes“We go where no one goes,” is Wandermut’s tagline, but one of the German tour agency’s packages has left people asking whethe…
Amazon facing ‘urgent’ drug crisis after gutting of protections, says narcotics chief
Brazilian government warning comes as UN report says that flourishing organized crime groups are driving a boom in environmental devastation The Brazilian government’s drug policy chief has admitted that the rapid advance of drug factions into the Amaz…
How Indigenous Guardsman Rescued Children After Plane Crash in the Amazon
Colombia’s Indigenous Guard has long had to fight for a space in the national narrative. Today, it is at the center of the country’s biggest story.
Germany’s return of sacred Kogi masks to Colombia may have health risks
Wooden artefacts dating from 15th century and bought from indigenous people were treated with pesticides while in museumGermany has returned two wooden masks of the indigenous Kogi community to Colombia but conceded that wearing the sacred artefacts in…