Colombia News

Apologizing for a father's sins

John Otis — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:23:10 +0000

Interview: The son of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar plays a central role in a film about his father’s violent legacy.

War-zone tourism

John Otis — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:45:40 +0000

It's a national park “where the rainbow becomes a river.” And it's nearly empty.

Soccer team's murder leaves villagers scared

Charlie Devereux — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:55:33 +0000

The murder of an amateur soccer team has heightened tensions between Colombia and Venezuela.

Colombia's rebel turncoats

John Otis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:12:55 +0000

A government propaganda blitz urges FARC rebels to give up the fight. It seems to be working.

In the jungle with the Colombian army

John Otis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:06:02 +0000

A reporter accompanies a Colombian army mission and observes why winning the war remains so difficult.

Angel, or FARC in disguise?

Nadja Drost — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:49:20 +0000

Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba evokes strong reactions from supporters and detractors alike.

Colombia's spy scandal

John Otis — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:54:10 +0000

The intelligence agency has been spying on Colombians — but most don't care if it means they're safer from guerrillas.

Putting a community, and its land, underwater

Nadja Drost — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:05:09 +0000

Peasants are angry about being pushed off their land for a hydroelectric project whose energy might not even go to Colombians.

Is South America in an arms race?

Nadja Drost — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:27:42 +0000

Major arms purchases stoke fears of flaring regional tensions on an increasingly militarized continent.

Essay: How to deal with kidnappings

John Otis — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:02:42 +0000

As the Taliban takes more high-profile hostages, there are lessons to be learned from Colombia's war with the FARC.

Digging up the dead

John Otis — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:45:27 +0000

Colombia is excavating its civil war dead for the first time — sometimes by going into active war zones.

A Colombian's quest

John Otis — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:15:36 +0000

Video: The father of a soldier held prisoner symbolically crucified himself to call attention to the plight of Colombia’s hostages.

Anti-Chavez and anti-Uribe protesters face off

Nadja Drost — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:59:25 +0000

Social networking organizes international protests against the Venezuelan president.

New waves of displacement

Charlie Devereux — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:18:19 +0000

Colombia's offensive against armed groups has increased the flow of refugees across the Venezuela border.

Run off their land

John Otis — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:49:41 +0000

Farmers displaced by war and ignored by politicians are searching for a new life in Bogota's slums.

Bribery accusations in case against Chevron

John Otis — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:32:09 +0000

In case over Amazon cleanup, Chevron releases videotapes it says implicate the judge in a bribery scheme.

Return of the dictators?

John Otis — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:14:53 +0000

Colombia's Alvaro Uribe is the latest in a string of Latin American leaders to push for more time in office.

A new stage for drug deals and turf wars

Nadja Drost — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:00:51 +0000

Panama, once one of Latin America's safest countries, is now home to gangs and drug violence.

A jailed teacher and a prison library

Nadja Drost — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:19:17 +0000

Colombia's penitentiaries are increasingly filled with political prisoners accused of belonging to insurgent groups.

Cockfighting: cruelty or culture?

John Otis — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:37:12 +0000

Fleeing violence for slums

Nadja Drost — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:39:06 +0000

A photographic journey through the shantytowns of Cazuca where armed groups rule the street.

Meet the economic gangsters

Mark Scheffler — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:03:52 +0000

Economic gangsters come in all shapes and sizes — they're Asian dictators and Somali pirates.

A thriving border business

Charlie Devereux — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:46:50 +0000

Smugglers are loading up their cars and selling Venezuela's cheap gas just next door in Colombia.

Panela in the mornings

John Otis — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:06:41 +0000

Colombia is the world’s No. 2 producer of panela — a sweetener that tastes like a cross between molasses and brown sugar.

Soaring peaks free of rebels

John Otis — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:24:53 +0000

Once the province of Marxist guerrillas, the mountains outside Bogota remain a secret from tourists.

A Colombian experiment in nation building

John Otis — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:03:29 +0000

An effort to combat drugs and rebels could be a model for the US in Afghanistan.

Full Frame: Africans in the Americas

Sebastian Belaustegui — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:27:58 +0000

Colombian guerrillas behind kidnappings in Venezuela

John Otis — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:06:55 +0000

With a law enforcement crackdown in Colombia, guerrillas are working across the border.

Full Frame: African rhythm to a Latin American beat

Sebastian Belaustegui — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:35:15 +0000

The slave trade dispersed Africans throughout the Americas. A photographic journey through the remaining Afro-American cultures.

Buses behaving badly

John Otis — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:43:45 +0000

In Colombia, riding a bus can be a frightening experience.

Violence could overshadow Obama-Uribe meeting

John Otis — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:46:25 +0000

When the Colombian president meets Obama on Monday, the deaths of labor leaders likely will come up.

Interview: Colombian filmmaker

Nadja Drost — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:21:15 +0000

A young Colombian filmmaker makes a splash at Cannes with his new film.