Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos took the oath for his second term on Thursday and promised to redouble his efforts to end Colombia’s half-century war amid a renewed wave of rebel violence that has put peace talks at risk.
Santos, a 62-year-old economist, narrowly defeated a conservative challenger to win another four-year term by framing their June runoff as a choice between war and peace.
“I will employ all of my energies to fulfill this mandate for peace,” Santos, wearing a dove pin on his lapel, said in a closely watched 45-minute speech.
Photo: Reuters
Analysts agree that the negotiations launched in 2012 in Cuba offer the best chance in decades for striking a deal to end the bloody conflict, which has killed more than 200,000 people, the majority of them civilians.
Still, a number of obstacles remain, including frustration over the guerrillas’ refusal to halt attacks and fierce opposition by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who was recently elected to the Senate with a record number of votes.
Santos in his inaugural speech did not outline any initiatives or suggest ways around the thorny issues likely to dominate the final stages of talks, such as how to grant political rights to senior rebel commanders accused of violating international humanitarian law and wanted in the United States on drug-trafficking charges.
Instead, he repeated a warning that the talks could fall apart if the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia continue to carry out attacks as they have in recent weeks.
“The patience of Colombia and the international community isn’t infinite,” Santos said.
As if to emphasize how difficult the road to peace remains, Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that rebels who have committed atrocious war crimes would not be allowed to hold office after handing over their weapons.
Thursday’s inauguration was attended by heads of state from across Latin America, as well as former King Juan Carlos of Spain.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the