No image available
/ 25 May 2008

Govt: Colombia’s top Farc commander is dead

The founder and chief commander of Colombia’s Farc rebel force, Manuel Marulanda, has died after more than 40 years fighting the state from jungle and mountain camps. If confirmed, the death of Manuel Marulanda, who organised the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas in the 1960s, would be the heaviest blow yet to Latin America’s oldest insurgency.

No image available
/ 15 April 2008

Thousands evacuated as Colombian volcano erupts

Thousands of Colombians were evacuated around the Nevado del Huila volcano in the south-west part of the country on Tuesday after an eruption of ash and gas that caused no damage but put authorities on high alert. ”Constant monitoring of the situation will be maintained,” said a statement from Colombia’s Interior Ministry.

No image available
/ 10 January 2008

Colombia again attempts hostage handover

An airborne operation to pluck two hostages from their rebel captors deep in the Colombian jungle lurched back to life on Thursday, after a botched handover attempt collapsed 10 days ago. Two Venezuelan helicopters departed for Colombia at dawn, said a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

No image available
/ 1 January 2008

Colombian hostage-rescue deal crumbles

A delicate mission to free three hostages held by Colombian guerrillas appeared to collapse on Monday as the government and rebel leaders accused each other of trying to kill the deal. The Venezuela-led plan to pick up two women hostages and a child born to one of them in captivity has been repeatedly delayed since last Thursday.