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Catatumbo: Humanitarian Crisis Worsens as Peace Talks Stall
The Catatumbo region, located on Colombia’s northeastern border with Venezuela, continues to face escalating violence and humanitarian deterioration, as armed confrontations persist between the National Liberation Army (ELN, guerrilla group inspired by the liberation theology) and dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, Marxist guerrilla movement). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)…
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Impact of Trump’s $60 Billion Foreign Aid Freeze
Since his election, President Donald Trump and his administration have frozen more than $60 billion in US foreign assistance, pending government review. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) may be abolished, citing “conflicting, overlapping, and duplicative” activities. A federal judge has blocked the administration from placing…
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Haiti: Alarming Surge in Child Abuse and Recruitment by Armed Groups
UNICEF reports a 1,000 per cent rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti over the past year, with armed groups exerting control over 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince. Child recruitment into these groups surged by 70 per cent in 2024, with up to half of their members being children, some as young as eight…
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Colombia’s Catumbo Conflict: 46,000 Children Out of School, 50,000 Displaced
More than 46,000 children in Colombia’s Catatumbo region, located at the Venezuelan border, are unable to start the school year due to an escalation in violence that has led the government to close 710 schools across 10 districts until at least 10 February. The Catatumbo conflict in Colombia has resurged, with recent clashes between the…
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US Sanctions on ICC Spark Concern Over War Crimes Investigations in Ukraine
The Ukrainian government has expressed hope that US sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not hinder investigations into alleged Russian war crimes. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi stated that Kyiv does not believe the US decision is related to Ukraine and expects the ICC to continue its work on Russian aggression. His…
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Colombia’s Catatumbo Conflict: 46,000 Children Out of School, 50,000 Displaced
More than 46,000 children in Colombia’s Catatumbo region, located at the Venezuelan border, are unable to start the school year due to an escalation in violence that has led the government to close 710 schools across 10 districts until at least 10 February. The Catatumbo conflict in Colombia has resurged, with recent clashes between the…
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Trump’s Donbas Peace Plan Uncertain Amid Threat to Key Ukrainian Hub
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine persists despite US President Donald Trump’s inaugural promise to swiftly end the war. Both nations launched airstrikes on Tuesday January 21, with Kyiv reporting strikes on Russian targets in Voronezh and Smolensk, while Russia claimed to have downed 55 Ukrainian drones and captured the village of Vovkove in Donetsk.…
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Wagner Mercenary Arrested at US-Mexico Border
Timur Praliev, 31, a self-admitted veteran of Russia’s Wagner par@military group, was arrested on January 4 after illegally crossing the US-Mexico border near Roma, Texas, according to US court records. Praliev, carrying Russian and Kazakh passports, cash, and a drone, was detained by Border Patrol agents. He pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and was sentenced…
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Over 5,600 Killed in Haiti’s Gang Violence in 2024
A report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reveals that 5,601 people were killed in Haiti in 2024 due to gang violence, an increase of over 1,000 from 2023. Additionally, 2,212 were injured, and 1,494 were kidnapped. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in December, with 207 people killed…
