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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 14th 2026 - 06:50 UTC

Tag: Colombia

  • Saturday, March 28th 2026 - 10:27 UTC

    UN warns: over 10,000 Colombians recruited as mercenaries in the past decade

    Soldiers of the Colombian National Army at attention. Photo: AFP

    A UN expert group on mercenaries warned on Friday of a significant increase in the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries, driven by the proliferation of armed conflicts worldwide. After an 11-day visit to Colombia, the body estimated that more than 10,000 citizens — nearly all former military and police personnel — have been recruited abroad over the past decade, with offers ranging from $2,000 to $6,000 per month.

  • Thursday, March 26th 2026 - 10:22 UTC

    Colombia Hercules crash aftermath: political clash over causes intensifies days after tragedy

    Petro has insisted that the aircraft, donated by the United States in 2020, was “junk” and that its age was a determining factor in the accident

    The Hercules C-130 crash in Putumayo, which killed 70 people on March 23, has escalated into an open political confrontation between President Gustavo Petro, the military leadership, and the opposition over the causes of the disaster and the state of the country's defense capabilities, against the backdrop of presidential elections scheduled for May 31.

  • Tuesday, March 24th 2026 - 03:27 UTC

    Colombian military plane crashes after takeoff with more than 120 people on board

    Putumayo Governor Jhon Gabriel Molina specified that the passengers included 112 military personnel and two police officers, and gave a provisional toll of at least eight dead and 83 injured

    A Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed on Monday shortly after taking off from La Tagua airstrip in Puerto Leguízamo, Putumayo, in southern Colombia, with at least 125 people on board. The aircraft was heading to Puerto Asís, also in Putumayo, carrying troops on a routine rotation.

  • Friday, March 20th 2026 - 16:26 UTC

    Two US federal prosecutors investigating Colombian President Gustavo Petro over alleged narco ties

    The probes, led by Manhattan and Brooklyn offices, are in early stages and it remains unclear whether charges will follow

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro is the subject of a criminal investigation by at least two US federal prosecutors over alleged links to international drug trafficking, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

  • Tuesday, March 17th 2026 - 22:45 UTC

    Petro accuses Ecuador of bombing Colombian territory, deepening rift with Noboa

    Noboa responded quickly. Ecuador’s president called Petro’s statements “false” and said Ecuador was “acting in our territory, not in yours.”

    The crisis between Colombia and Ecuador escalated sharply on Tuesday after Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his country was being bombed from Ecuadorian territory, while his counterpart Daniel Noboa rejected the allegation and insisted military operations were taking place only on Ecuador’s side of the border.

  • Monday, March 16th 2026 - 05:17 UTC

    Colombia and Venezuela will seek full Mercosur membership, Petro says

    From a formal standpoint, the status of the two countries within the bloc differs. Colombia is currently an associate member of Mercosur, while Venezuela remains suspended

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his country and Venezuela will seek admission to Mercosur as full members, one day after a ministerial meeting in Caracas that he described as “extremely successful,” according to EFE. In a message posted on X, Petro said: “We will ask for the moratorium to be lifted so Venezuela can enter Mercosur as a full member, and Colombia will submit its own request to join as a full member.”

  • Friday, March 13th 2026 - 03:12 UTC

    Petro sends ministers to Caracas after meeting with Delcy Rodríguez is called off

    The failed meeting carried particular political significance because it would have been Rodríguez’s first international engagement as Venezuela’s acting president

    Colombia and Venezuela shifted their planned bilateral contact to the ministerial level on Friday after a presidential meeting announced for the border was abruptly canceled under the formula of “force majeure.” Instead of the face-to-face encounter scheduled between Gustavo Petro and Delcy Rodríguez at the Atanasio Girardot bridge, Bogotá sent a delegation to Caracas led by Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio and including the ministers of defense, trade, and mines and energy.

  • Monday, March 9th 2026 - 02:06 UTC

    Historic Pact and Democratic Center lead Colombia’s Senate race after legislative vote

    Petro's Historic Pact was taking 22.84% of the Senate vote, ahead of Uribe's Democratic Center’s 15.70%

    Historic Pact, the left-wing coalition linked to President Gustavo Petro, and the Democratic Center, led by former president Alvaro Uribe, were on Sunday emerging as the two main forces in Colombia’s Senate for the 2026-2030 term, according to preliminary pre-count results. Colombia’s electoral authority, the Registraduría, was publishing official real-time results on its election portal, while local media reported that Senate bulletin 25 showed Historic Pact with 3,599,411 votes and Democratic Center with 2,473,529.

  • Wednesday, February 25th 2026 - 03:30 UTC

    Petro signs petition sheet backing a constituent assembly push in Colombia

    Petro has framed the constituent assembly as a central plank for the months ahead

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday signed one of the official sheets being used by a left-leaning citizens’ committee to collect signatures in support of calling a National Constituent Assembly. The move came during a Cabinet meeting livestreamed on the presidency’s social media channels, 12 days before congressional elections.

  • Tuesday, February 24th 2026 - 12:05 UTC

    Colombia brings 12 Mexican Mennonites to trial over deforestation

    The case unfolds amid local tensions over land use and environmental impacts, with Indigenous communities — including the Sikuani — urging the state to safeguard territorial rights

    Colombia’s prosecutor’s office is taking 12 Mexican Mennonites to trial over alleged deforestation of more than 100 hectares in rural Puerto Gaitán, Meta province, tied to agricultural land development carried out between 2016 and 2021.

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