Tensions between Colombia and Peru have risen following a series of incidents in the disputed area of Santa Rosa de Loreto, on the Amazon River. The latest occurred on Monday, when former Medellín mayor and presidential hopeful Daniel Quintero raised the Colombian flag on Chinería Island, territory under Peruvian control. “There is no way I will let Peru take the Amazon River from us… homeland or death,” he declared in a video posted on social media.
Paraguay's Lower House on Monday approved the Free Trade Agreement between the South American Common Market (Mercosur) and Singapore signed in December 2023 in Rio de Janeiro. The deal had already been approved by the Senate. The understanding seeks to increase accessibility and transparency for businesses engaging in electronic transactions and public procurement.
Colombian Senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay died early Monday as a result of the gunshots he received during a political rally on June 7, for which he had been hospitalized since.
Haiti's government has declared a three-month state of emergency in the West, Artibonite, and Centre departments to address a surge in gang violence and the resulting food crisis. This measure is intended to mobilize state resources more effectively to restore order and security.
An armed attack outside a nightclub in Santa Lucía on Sunday morning, a town in Ecuador's Guayas province, left eight people (seven men and one woman) dead and several others injured. The victims included nightclub owner Jorge Urquizo, the brother of the town's mayor, Ubaldo Urquizo.
Haitian businessman Laurent Saint-Cyr has been appointed as the new rotating president of Haiti's Presidential Transition Council (CPT), a body formed after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Saint-Cyr is tasked with restoring security, leading the country toward new elections, and reviving the economy.
Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) launched this week a new international route from Santa Cruz to Washington DC with round-trip tickets priced at US$880. The new service will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro escalated a diplomatic conflict with Peru on Thursday by accusing Lima of violating border treaties over the disputed sovereignty of Santa Rosa Island, located in the Amazon River. “Colombia does not recognize Peru’s sovereignty over the so-called Santa Rosa Island and does not recognize the de facto authorities,” Petro declared from Leticia, a Colombian border city that, for the first time, hosted the country’s Independence Day celebrations.
Uruguayan authorities admitted Thursday that terrorist organizations could use their country to either stage or plan certain attacks in the region. While the risk is considered low, according to the National Strategy for the Fight against Money Laundering, the government has not ruled out the possibility.
Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa has declared a new state of emergency for 60 days in four coastal provinces: El Oro, Guayas, Los Ríos, and Manabí. The decree, citing serious internal unrest, suspends the rights to inviolability of domicile and correspondence, allowing the Armed Forces and National Police to conduct joint operations