International

At least 409 minors were recruited in Colombia in 2024, according to the Ombudsman’s Office

At least 409 minors were recruited by armed groups in Colombia in 2024, with the Central General Staff (EMC) of the FARC dissidents being the group with the most cases, as reported on Tuesday by the Ombudsman’s Office.

“With pain we inform that last year we reported 409 boys and girls recruited, 300 in (the department of) Cauca. Last year we had closed with the alarming number of 342,” reported the ombudsman, Iris Marín.

More than half of the children and adolescents recruited are indigenous, especially from Cauca.

“The group identified with the greatest responsibility is that of the dissidents of the so-called ‘Central General Staff’,” the defender added.

In the vast majority of cases, the dissidence of the FARC that recruited them cannot be specified, but after the EMC, which recruited a total of 135 minors, the next group with the most recruitments was the ELN with nine cases.

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Of the 409 cases, 61% are boys and 39% are girls, although the Ombudsman’s Office admits that there is an under-registration of cases, so the magnitude and alleged responsibilities cannot be concluded.

Throughout 2024, the Police managed to rescue 34 children and adolescents who forcibly recruited armed groups.

The Army, for its part, rescued 447 minors last year, especially in the department of Cauca, where dissidents have the most presence and where 72 children and adolescents were recovered.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.