Colombian politician Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was shot in the head at a campaign rally on Saturday, remains in critical condition. The assassination attempt has shaken a country with a long history of political violence. (Reuters)
But Saturday’s attack “took place in a different country, where political violence against national figures has diminished and has become more prevalent against regional leaders. There is still no clear hypothesis about the motives behind someone wanting to assassinate this political leader, unlike what happened in the 1990s,” notes La Silla Vacía.
“At that time in 1989, we more or less knew who killed Galán,” María Victoria Llorente, director of the Ideas for Peace Foundation, told La Silla Vacía. “We knew there were shadowy paramilitary forces, we knew there were the FARC and the ELN, we knew there were the Medellín Cartel and the Cali Cartel. Not today.”
Instead, the story of the 14-year-old attacker — who reportedly shouted at the scene of the crime that he did it for money for his family — is evocative of Colombia’s current context: he lives in a low-income neighborhood in Bogotá, with an aunt, his father allegedly traveled to volunteer in the war in Ukraine, and his mother is dead, and he is part of a government program for at-risk youths, reports El País. Authorities believe he is the last link in the chain of those responsible for the attack, as he is most likely a contract killer, according to the Attorney General’s Office’s initial line of investigation.
The weapon used in the attack, a Glock 9 mm, was originally purchased in 2020 in the United States, in Arizona, but its unclear how it got to Colombia, reports El Tiempo.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said yesterday that Uribe Turbay’s security detail was severely reduced on the day of the attack. Uribe’s lawyer Victor Mosquera said he had filed a criminal complaint against the protection unit in charge of security for high-profile and at-risk personalities, alleging that he had made more than 20 requests for increased security this year alone. (Guardian)
More Colombia
“Assassination attempts against politicians do not happen in a vacuum. While it is still unknown who was responsible for the attack on Senator Uribe, it is worth noting that political discourse, polarization, and the erosion of respectful political debate play a role in encouraging violence.” - WOLA
Colombia’s senate has suspended sessions due to the attack against Uribe Turbay, who is a senator, delaying treatment of a bill that would advance a part of the president’s labor reform agenda. Petro will reportedly advance with a decree calling for popular consultation on labor reform, reports La Silla Vacía.
Colombia's government has authorized the use of an "escape clause" to temporarily suspend compliance with its fiscal rule, amid deteriorating public finances, reports Reuters.
Peru
Peru is grappling with an extraordinary crime wave, fueled by a surge in extortion schemes as gangs exert increasing control over urban areas, reports the New York Times.
Brazil
Bloomberg alleges Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has “lost his way” in a critical feature: “Nearly a quarter-century after he first rose to power, Lula is relying on a political and policy approach that, while successful in the past, has proved incapable of meeting the modern demands of Brazil’s people. He is reluctant to accept criticism or advice from beyond a shrinking circle of people he trusts. And despite grandiose visions for the future, his administration is a desert of ideas for the here and now.”
“Months before hosting the U.N.'s first climate talks held in the Amazon, Brazil is fast-tracking a series of controversial decisions that undercut President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s lofty environmental rhetoric and show widening divisions within his cabinet,” according to the Associated Press.
Deforestation in the Amazon surged 92% in May compared to the same month last year, according to official monitoring data released Friday — Associated Press
Regional Relations
“In Latin America, Brazil is no longer a protagonist. Instead, it is retreating into the background, leaving a vacuum that others are increasingly eager to fill,” writes Sylvia Colombo in World Politics Review. The upcoming COP30 is a pivotal opportunity to reverse this trend: “It will be crucial for Brazil to ensure the high-profile summit yields more concrete commitments than the underwhelming final declaration from Brazil’s recent rotating presidency of the G20, which ended in November 2024, and recent summits of the Mercosur trade bloc of Southern Cone nations.”
Lula spoke at a global summit on the seas, yesterday and warned against the threat of countries unilaterally exploiting the oceans through deep-sea mining, in a reference to US plans, reports AFP.
U.S. soldiers arrived in Panama for military exercises aimed at protecting the Panama Canal, the US embassy said last week — after a bilateral agreement triggered protests in the Central American country. (AFP)
“Divorces are often difficult for those caught up in the middle, so spare a thought for Argentine President Javier Milei,” writes Ishaan Tharoor in the Washington Post, on how U.S. allies have stayed silent on the Trump-Musk drama.
Milei did, however, insult Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at an event in Madrid, a year after a similar attack escalated into a diplomatic spat, reports Reuters.
Argentina
Argentine President Javier Milei landed in Israel yesterday night, “travelling immediately to the famous Wailing Wall – the holiest site in Judaism, located in the city of Jerusalem — where he prayed even before stopping at his hotel,” reports the Buenos Aires Times.
Argentina’s Supreme Court will meet today to discuss the public works corruption case known as Vialidad and decide whether to uphold former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s corruption conviction. If they uphold the conviction, her six-year prison sentence will go into effect, and she’ll be banned from public office for life, reports the Buenos Aires Herald.
Kirchner called on her followers and the wider Peronist movement to prepare and organize themselves yesterday, hinting that her arrest may be imminent. She said that with rivals like hers, “being imprisoned is a certificate of dignity.” (Buenos Aires Times)
The case is highly relevant ahead of mid-term elections, in which Milei hopes to gain legislative seats that would allow him to further advance with his economic and political agenda. (Reuters)
Mexico
Boz delves into the contradictory narratives regarding Mexican President Claudia Sheinbuam — portrayed as a competent technocrat by some, and, by others, as the leader of an authoritarian power-grab destined to return the country to single-party rule. “Both of those narratives are true, leading to a more general political narrative of “the government is authoritarian but getting stuff done” that is compelling for many citizens, businesses, investors, and analysts.” (Latin America Risk Report)
Mexican state police killed four gunmen near the border with Guatemala, then pursued more suspects into that country in three armored police vehicles, where they engaged in a shootout in the streets of a border town, reports the Associated Press.
Regional
How to save the Amazon part one: the stakes – a Guardian podcast
More Brazil
A Brazilian comedian was sentenced to eight years in prison for “bigoted” jokes - Washington Post
Extremely lifelike dolls are a pop-culture phenomenon in Brazil and have triggered a flurry of proposed legislation by right-wing politicians to bar the dolls from receiving services in public health facilities, though there are virtually no cases of owners attempting such a thing, reports the New York Times.
Suriname
Suriname has one of the highest suicide rates in the world — a majority of those deaths involve paraquat, a pesticide widely used for weed control. Now campaigners seek to restrict access to the lethal substances, as simple way to save lives, reports the New York Times.