Kolumbien

A Colombian high court on Wednesday called on President Ivan Duque to sanction a law that implements peace agreement with demobilized FARC rebels, after upholding a Senate vote that rejected his proposed changes.

FARC president Rodrigo Londoño begged the more than 12,000 former guerrillas who disarmed in 2016 as part of a peace deal not to abandon the process after the recapture of former guerrilla leader “Jesus Santrich.” The FARC leader, who is also known as “Timochenko,” made the urgent call after an emergency meeting with former guerrillas chiefs and United Nations peace observers.

The political party formed by Colombia's former Marxist FARC rebels on Wednesday accused the far right of assassinating its members, but pledged to continue the process of reintegration.

Alarmed by the “strikingly high number” of human rights defenders being killed, harassed and threatened in Colombia, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in the country on Friday, called on authorities to “make a significant effort” to “tackle the endemic impunity” surrounding these cases.

The United Nations urged Colombia on Tuesday to take immediate action against ongoing violence in the northwest of the country. According to figures of the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR, over 1600 members of five different indigenous communities have been displaced as a result of armed conflict between illegal armed groups over the past two weeks in Jurado, a municipality in Choco.

The implementation of Colombia’s peace process made progress since it began in late 2016, but has so far failed to positively affect the lives of citizens, according to an extensive study. According to the Kroc Institute, which has monitored the progress of implementation of the 578 agreements made in the peace deal, 400 of these agreements are being implemented.

The leaders of Colombia’s last-standing guerrilla group, the ELN, will remain in Cuba until Colombia’s President Ivan Duque agrees to resume peace talks, according to the rebels’ chief negotiator.

Anger is growing over the Colombian president's attempts to make changes to a special tribunal set up to investigate war crimes.

Colombia’s foreign minister will meet with the secretary general of the United Nations after the international organization expressed “regret” over President Ivan Duque‘s refusal to sign off on the country’s war crimes tribunal.