■ Colombia
Hundreds flee fighting
Intense fighting between the army and leftist guerrillas in western Colombia has forced at least 1,300 civilians from their homes and trapped Indian communities who are unable to reach safety, the UN said on Tuesday. In Narino Province, near the southern border with Ecuador, more than 1,300 mostly Indian people have fled since fighting broke out a week ago between the army and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country's largest rebel group. "With combat ongoing, thousands more people could be at risk of forced displacement in the next few days," the UN High Commission for Refugees said in a statement.
■ Guatemala
More women being killed
The number of women murdered in the country is rising and the government has failed to investigate most of the cases, which often involve rape and torture, Amnesty International said in a report released on Tuesday. The number women slain jumped from 163 in 2002 to as many as 665 last year, Amnesty said. "In 2002, women made up around 5 percent of the total murdered each year, today that number is about 13 percent," said Sebastian Elgueta, Amnesty's Guatemala researcher.
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