Thursday 9 May 2013

Colombia confirms troops shot FARC captain

Officials confirmed on 8 May that Colombian troops killed days earlier a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)'s Southern Front, a guerrilla dubbed Caliche and identified as head of the Jacobo Arenas Mobile Column, the broadcaster Caracol reported. He was killed in fighting in the south-western department of Nariño alongside six FARC fighters, Caracol reported, adding that Caliche was usually active further north in the departments of Cauca and Valle de Cauca. The Minister of Defence Juan Carlos Pinzón told Colombian National Radio on 9 May that numerous bomb and mortar attacks in Cauca were attributed to Caliche, particularly attacks on the localities of Caloto, Toribío and Jambaló. He said Caliche was in the FARC for 30 years and 12th in its hierarchy. President Juan Manuel Santos told a gathering in Bogotá on 9 May that 1,280 members of the FARC had been "neutralised" so far in 2013, that is killed or detained or had surrendered, the Presidential website reported.

Venezuelan President travels to boost trade, denounces "fascist" opponents

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro told a gathering of left-wing activists in Buenos Aires on 8 May that his country was seeing the resurgence of a "fascist-style" opposition that had allegedly resorted to violence when rejecting the results of the 14 April presidential elections. He was referring to parties in the Table of Democratic Unity (MUD) coalition led by the former candidate Henrique Capriles Radonsky. Maduro began on 7 May a tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, intended he said to "strengthen food sovereignty" and replenish Venezuela's food reserves, El Nacional and Globovisión reported on 6 May. In Argentina he accused unspecified opposition groups of attacking Cuban medical centres in Venezuela after the elections, El Universal reported on 8 May. The conservative forces emerging in Venezuela he said, had "clear fascistoid signs," and were "intolerant" and hostile to "brother nations" like Argentina and Cuba, key allies of Venezuela's socialist regime." Where he asked "has anyone seen a political current challenging political elections just before attacking Cuban doctors providing a service" to Venezuelans? Venezuela's opposition was "anti-Latin American" and would "immediately" leave regional associations like Mercosur "if they had power," he told activists gathered in a stadium. Maduro denied in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 7 May that the opposition was being harrassed and said "all political currents have full liberty in Venezuela." He signed 10 accords with Uruguay before going to Argentina, where he signed 12 agreements on 8 May intended he said to eliminate "the severe shortages we have had and have, among other reasons for sabotage," Venezuela's AVN news agency reported.The agreements also envisaged joint food production and farming ventures in Venezuela, and trade and exchanges in areas of energy, media and technology.