Alvaro Uribe

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Quake-Hit Colombians Hunker Down

Rumble killed 11 and wounded 54; 5,000 face damaged buildings

(Newser) - After Saturday’s 5.6-magnitude quake which sparked landslides, hundreds of Colombians gathered in temporary shelters yesterday, reluctant to return home for fear of further shake-ups, Reuters reports. Colombia’s Red Cross reported 11 deaths and 54 injuries, with some 5,000 facing damaged homes and other buildings. President Alvaro...

Colombian Rebels Confirm Leader's Death

Marulanda, 78, died of a heart attack 'in arms of his companion'

(Newser) - A top Colombian rebel confirmed the death of FARC chief Manuel Marulanda in a TV interview today. Marulanda died of a heart attack 2 months ago, at age 78, "in the arms of his companion," he said. With "Sureshot" gone, new rebel leader Alfonso Cano may struggle...

Bush to Give Congress Colombia Bill

But Dems will likely kill trade pact over human rights

(Newser) - President Bush said today he is handing Congress a much-disputed Colombia free trade pact, the Washington Post reports. But with both Democratic presidential candidates and many lawmakers opposing it, the bill has little chance of passing. Democrats have long blasted Colombia for failing to protect labor advocates and curb violence....

Colombia Offers Swap: Hostages for Prisoners

FARC must release ailing Betancourt for deal to go through

(Newser) - After more than 6 years in captivity, Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt will go free if FARC agrees to a deal Alvaro Uribe signed off on last night, the Guardian reports. The Colombian president issued a decree saying the country will release imprisoned rebel fighters in exchange for Betancourt, a onetime...

Colombia to Pay Ex-Rebel $2.5M for Slaying

He shot his FARC boss, cut off his hand as proof

(Newser) - Colombia will pay the former FARC rebel who killed his commander last week part of a $2.5 million reward—a move critics say amounts to payment for murder, the BBC reports. Guerrilla Pedro Pablo Montoya shot his boss, then cut off his hand as proof. He will share the...

South American Crisis Ends With Handshakes

After spat over raid, Colombia, Ecuador make nice with promises for future

(Newser) - The threat of war involving Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela was diffused today with a bevy of handshakes televised all over Latin America, Reuters reports. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and his opposite number, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, reached an agreement on combating insurgents in the future; the Colombian military's killing of...

Nicaragua Latest to Sever Ties Over Colombia Raid

Ortega, citing 'political terrorism,' follows lead of Ecuador, Venezuela

(Newser) - Nicaragua cut diplomatic ties with Bogota today, ratcheting up the political tension in the wake of Colombia's raid into Ecuador to kill rebels, the BBC reports. Calling Sunday's incursion an act of "political terrorism," President Daniel Ortega followed the lead of Ecuador and Venezuela, which have already severed...

Venezuela Adds Firepower on Colombian Border

Tanks, aircraft deployed as standoff escalates

(Newser) - Venezuela deployed tanks to the Colombian border, Reuters reports, as Latin American tensions remained high enough that Hugo Chavez warned of an Andean war. Though Colombia refused to send reinforcements to its border, the mobilization of heavy artillery, including support from air and sea forces, is the first in the...

Ecuador Wants Apology on FARC; US Backs Bogota

Bush to Colombia: We're with you

(Newser) - Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, is in Brazil today, pushing for an apology from Colombia for its incursion into Ecuador to attack FARC guerrillas Saturday. While most Latin American nations, including Brazil, have condemned the cross-border attack, the White House yesterday unequivocally backed Colombia in the rapidly escalating crisis. Correa heads...

Colombia: FARC Was After Uranium
Colombia:
FARC Was
After Uranium
Mar 4, 2008 11:35 AM CST

Colombia: FARC Was After Uranium

Ecuador cuts ties, says slain rebel leader was key in hostage deal

(Newser) - Colombia has accused Ecuador and Venezuela of cooperating with FARC guerrillas who were trying to buy uranium, the BBC reports, even as Ecuador cut ties with Colombia and Venezuela expelled its diplomats. “FARC is taking big steps in the world of terrorism to become a global aggressor,” said...

Colombian Troops Kill Top FARC Leader

He's the group's highest-ranking member to be killed

(Newser) - Colombian forces have for the first time killed one of FARC's top leaders, the BBC reports. The military attacked a rebel camp and killed Raul Reyes, a member of the group's ruling secretariat who had been a top candidate to take over the organization. The attack comes just days after...

Colombia's FARC to Free 3 More Hostages

Health reasons, Chavez's diplomatic role cited in release

(Newser) - Colombia’s FARC rebel group will release three lawmakers for health reasons after more than 6 years in captivity, the BBC reports. Taking a pointed side in the dispute between Hugo Chavez and Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, the rebels said in a statement to local media that they were releasing...

DNA Tests Show Rebels Don't Have Colombian Boy

Alleged hostage is actually in foster care

(Newser) - DNA tests all but confirmed today that a 3-year-old boy Colombian rebels had pledged to include in a hostage-release deal has actually been in foster care since 2005. The group FARC negotiated the release of Emmanuel Rojas—born to a female hostage and her rebel captor—with Hugo Chavez; the...

Colombia Prez: Rebels Don't Have Hostage's Love Child

DNA to determine if boy is orphan in custody

(Newser) - Relatives of FARC hostage Clara Rojas yesterday underwent DNA testing to determine whether a boy surrendered to a Bogota orphanage 2 years ago is her 3-year-old son, as Colombian president Alvaro Uribe contends. Uribe yesterday said FARC rebels couldn't release Emmanuel Rojas, along with his mother and another hostage, as...

Mission Begins to Rescue Hostages in Colombia

Chavez sends choppers into jungle

(Newser) - Helicopters sent by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to rescue hostages from Colombian rebels have landed at the edge of a Colombian wilderness and are awaiting a go-ahead from the rebels, the BBC reports. Guerrillas plan to release two women, seized more than five years ago, and a young boy fathered in...

Chavez Freezes Out Colombia
Chavez Freezes Out Colombia
Nov 26, 2007 4:56 AM CST

Chavez Freezes Out Colombia

Puts brakes on bilateral ties over talks with rebels

(Newser) - Venezuela's volatile President Hugo Chavez says he is freezing ties with neighboring Colombia, insulted by Bogota's decision to ditch Chavez as a negotiator with Marxist guerrillas who have been holding hostages for years. Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe accused Chavez of favoring the rebels and overstepping his authority. Chavez called the...

Chavez Fired as Hostage Mediator
Chavez Fired
as Hostage Mediator
Nov 22, 2007 7:32 PM CST

Chavez Fired as Hostage Mediator

Colombian prez says he overstepped boundaries

(Newser) - Colombia ended Hugo Chavez's try at freeing 45 hostages from Marxist rebels today, Reuters reports. The Venezuelan prez had been brokering their release for weeks when he apparently breached protocol by talking to a Colombian general. "Can you imagine (Russia's president) calling the chairman of the U.S. chiefs...

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