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Colombia peace tribunal charges 19 soldiers for 300 murders

AFP

The special peace tribunal investigating atrocities committed during Colombia’s decades-long conflict on Monday charged 19 soldiers with war crimes and crimes against humanity for murdering 303 people, mostly civilians, between 2005 and 2008.

The murders form part of what is known in Colombia as “false positives,” where the military killed civilians and then presented them as guerilla fighters to try to inflate the effectiveness of their fight against rebels.

In return, the soldiers received special benefits such as help to gain promotion.

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) said it has gathered enough evidence to charge 19 soldiers, an intelligence agent and two civilians for the murders and forced disappearance of hundreds of people in the eastern Casanare department.

A general and five colonels, all now retired, are among the accused.

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The tribunal’s magistrates said the soldiers belonged to the 16th Brigade, in which “a criminal organization” killed and falsely presented civilians as guerrillas and criminals that “had fallen in combat.”

Some victims had been plied with alcohol and drugs.

In return for their crimes, the soldiers received release “permits, special food, holiday plans, training classes abroad and recognition” to accelerate their promotion.

From 2002 to 2008, under the right-wing presidency of Alvaro Uribe, Colombia’s military committed more than 6,400 murders, according to the JEP.

The accused must either accept or reject the accusations in the coming weeks.

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If they confess and make reparations to their victims, they can avoid prison time. Otherwise, they face up to 20 years in jail.

The JEP was set up following the 2016 peace deal that brought to an end more than a half century of conflict between the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has since formed a political party.

The tribunal investigates atrocities committed by both sides in the conflict.

In June, the former FARC leadership took responsibility for its actions and apologized to its victims.

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International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

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International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.

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