Latest news with #guerrilla
Times
05-07-2025
- Times
On the front line of Colombia's cocaine war
In northern Colombia, two guerrilla groups are at war. They're fighting for control of one of the world's top coca-producing regions — and the billion-dollar cocaine industry that comes with it. Across the world, people are taking more cocaine than ever. Users from the UK to Europe and the US are estimated to consume up to six tonnes of the drug every day. Since January, more than 65,000 people in Colombia have been forced to flee their homes in the worst violence in the country for a decade. The Colombian army is trying to push the guerilla groups back. But they're stretched incredibly thin. We spent weeks travelling through the mountainous region in the country's north talking to coca farmers, displaced civilians, the army and the guerrilla groups themselves to try to understand how the cocaine industry works — and why it's brought Colombia back to war.
Arab News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
More than 50 Colombian soldiers held by residents in restive region: army
BOGOTA: More than 50 Colombian soldiers were being held captive Sunday by residents of a guerrilla-controlled region in the southwest of the country, the army said. A first platoon of soldiers was carrying out an operation in El Tambo, a municipality part of an area known as the Micay Canyon — a cocaine-producing enclave — when civilians detained them on Saturday. On Sunday another group of soldiers was surrounded by at least 200 residents as they headed toward El Plateado, another town in the region. 'As a result of both events, a total of four non-commissioned officers and 53 professional soldiers remain deprived of their liberty,' the army said. In conflict-ridden regions of Colombia, some illegal groups at times order civilians to carry out actions to impede the advance of security forces. They are usually released hours later after the intervention of human rights organizations. General Federico Alberto Mejia said in a video that it was a 'kidnapping' by guerrillas who had 'infiltrated' the community. The army has maintained that the farmers receive orders from the so-called Central General Staff (EMC), the main FARC dissident group that did not sign the 2016 peace agreement with the then government. President Gustavo Petro on Sunday urged farmers to 'stop believing in armed groups who obey foreigners,' referring to the guerrillas' alleged ties to Mexican cartels. 'We want to spread peace, but freeing the soldiers, who are their own children, is imperative,' the leftist president wrote on social media platform X. Petro has been trying for months to ensure that the Armed Forces gain access to the entire Micay Canyon. In March, 28 police officers and a soldier were held captive by local residents in the same area. All were released two days later. Colombia is experiencing its worst security crisis in the last decade. Petro attempted to negotiate peace with the EMC, but its main leader, known as 'Ivan Mordisco,' abandoned the talks.
Reuters
31-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Jose Mujica, former Uruguayan president and guerrilla, dies at 89
Jose Mujica, a one-time guerrilla and later president of Uruguay who drove a beat-up old VW Beetle and enacted progressive reforms that carried his reputation well beyond South America, has died aged 89. Syakir Jasnee reports.
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Led By Donkeys in conversation with Zoe Williams
Led By Donkeys was founded in early 2019 when four friends, Ben Stewart, James Sadri, Oliver Knowles and Will Rose – motivated by the chaos Britain had been pitched into – started going out at night to paste guerrilla billboards of the leading Brexiters' historic tweets. Soon after, the group was reaching millions of people with every intervention and have continued their work mixing art and activism to create some of the most memorable images of our political age. Projecting public sentiment on to the palace of Westminster, lowering a remote-controlled banner featuring a lettuce and the words 'I crashed the economy.' behind Liz Truss, and laying out 11,000 children's outfits along Bournemouth beach to represent the children killed in Gaza: these are just three of the group's numerous artistic acts of resistance against the ineptitudes and corruption committed by those in power. What keeps the group going? And has their campaigning changed anything. Join them on Tuesday 30 September with Guardian columnist Zoe Willliams, for what promises to be an unforgettable evening. They'll be live in London and online, as they reveal the true stories behind the activism that has shaken and stirred UK politics since 2019. And as we face a new political landscape, this is also your opportunity to ask them your own questions on what we can expect next from them. You can join this event in-person at Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London, E17 4QH, or via the livestream. Tickets start from £39 to attend the event in person, or £15 to watch the livestream. All event ticket sales go towards supporting the Guardian's open, crucial journalism. Book tickets – in person or livestream Date: Tuesday 30 September 2025Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm (BST), this includes a 30 minute interval Or see this time zone converter to check your local live streaming Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London, E17 4QH, or join via the livestreamAccessibility: Soho Theatre Walthamstow is wheelchair accessible. For detailed access information for the venue, please see their website here. If you have any access requirements you are eligible for 1 x free companion ticket, however access tickets must be booked via the venue directly here. If you miss this live event, a recording will be sent to you. It will be available for two weeks so you can catch-up or revisit the event in your own time. What are the terms and conditions? By proceeding, you agree to the Guardian Live events Terms and Conditions. To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy. How do I access a livestream event? This event will be hosted on a third-party live streaming platform Vimeo, please refer to their privacy policy and terms and conditions before purchasing a ticket to the event. After registering, please refer to your confirmation email for access to the event. Will there be closed captions available? Yes closed captions will be available for this event. Guardian Live brings you closer to the big stories, award-winning journalists, and leading thinkers in livestreamed and interactive events that you can access from wherever you are in the world. To stay informed, sign up to our newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram.
Roya News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
Rubio says Syria could be weeks away from 'full-scale civil war'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that Syria could be weeks away from a fresh civil war of "epic proportions," as he called for support to the transitional leadership. "It is our assessment that, frankly, the transitional authority, given the challenges they're facing, are maybe weeks -- not many months -- away from potential collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions, basically the country splitting up," Rubio told a US Senate hearing. US President Donald Trump last week on a visit to Saudi Arabia announced a lifting of Assad-era sanctions and met with the guerrilla leader who is now Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Sharaa, clad in a suit and complimented by Trump as a "young, attractive guy," was until recently on a US wanted list. Rubio quipped: "The transitional authority figures, they didn't pass their background check with the FBI." But he added: "If we engage them, it may work out, it may not work out. If we did not engage them, it was guaranteed to not work out." Rubio, who also met with Syria's foreign minister in Turkey on Thursday, blamed the renewed violence on the legacy of Assad, a largely secular leader who hailed from the Alawite sect.
