CriminalCrisis🇨🇴Colombia4d agoArmed gunmen killed social leader Freiman Velázquez and five others in a coordinated attack on a National Protection Unit vehicle traveling the Ocaña-Ábrego road in Norte de Santander on May 19. Velázquez, a peasant union organizer with the Association for Peasant Unity of Catatumbo (ASUNCAT), was targeted despite state security; witnesses reported assailants used long-range weapons and fired multiple volleys at the van. The attack marks the fifth massacre in Norte de Santander this year and the 56th nationwide in 2026, occurring in a region where ELN, FARC dissidents, and criminal bands compete for territorial control.7.2/10·El Colombiano (Medellín)·Ábrego, Norte de SantanderPrimary Source ↗Details →
CriminalCrisis🇨🇴Colombia4d agoA 24-year-old journalist and Political Science student, Mateo Pérez, was killed by FARC dissident fighters in northern Antioquia, Colombia on May 4th while investigating armed clashes between drug trafficking groups. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned his murder and urged the Colombian government to strengthen protections for journalists reporting in conflict-affected areas, citing the chilling effect such killings have on press freedom and public access to information.7.2/10·El Colombiano (Medellín)·Briceño, AntioquiaPrimary Source ↗Details →