A week before the inauguration, hits on 15 officers cast doubt on Petro’s peace promises Bogotá, Colombia- The most powerful armed group in Colombia, the Gaitanista Self Defense Forces (AGC), also known as the Gulf Clan, is paying up to $4000 for assassinations of cops that won’t sign onto their payroll, in a brutal new hit scheme they’re calling “Plan Pistola”. The aggression casts doubt…

Covid recessions and insecurity are prompting Caribbean and West African migrants to attempt the crossing — but between armed groups, disease and treacherous terrain, many never make it — Originally published at Pirate Wire Services Necocli, Colombia- Colombia has officially reopened its land border with Panama after a year and a half of pandemic closures. The news has prompted thousands of mainly Caribbean and West African migrants to trek to the frontier.

Police in Colombia aren’t just militarized, they’re controlled by the military. Critics say that needs to change — Bogotá, Colombia — Clad in black tacti-cool stormtrooper armor and armed with clubs, the vanguard of the riot police advance. A second line launches tear gas into crowds of protesters which spreads out in billowing clouds. …

Police brutality, inequality, rising violence and a deeply unpopular administration are driving demonstrations across the country — Bogotá, Colombia- Protests in Colombia just celebrated their month anniversary. Tens of thousands are currently in the streets, roadblocks have stopped the flow of goods at critical commercial transport hubs and parts of the country are quite literally in flames. …

Meet the kids of Cali, who make up the soul of a national revolution — Cali, Colombia- A few hundred young women enter Puerto Resistencia, (Port Resistance) the heart of protests here in Cali, with their fists raised to the air in a gesture of defiance against the state that has been killing them in the streets for weeks. …