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 by AFP Staff Writers Bogota (AFP) May 19, 2021
Former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday told his successor Ivan Duque to assume responsiblity for abuses committed by police during deadly recent protests. At least 42 people have died since the clashes between demonstrators and security forces broke out on April 28, according to official figures, with another 1,500 injured. "We need more gestures, we need more empathy and more humility, and for the State to recognize: 'look, we committed abuses'," Santos told W Radio. He said that is all it would take to unlock a dialogue with the protesters, who originally demonstrated against a proposed tax hike that was quickly shelved. Santos was awarded the Nobel prize for negotiating a 2016 peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and bringing an end to the leftist guerrillas' half century of armed conflict with the state. He said the security forces' reputation "has deteriorated a lot" due to the perceived repression of protesters, who are demanding political change with the country reeling from the affects of the coronavirus pandemic. He said he was prepared to act as a mediator between the government and demonstrators. Colombia has come under fire from NGOs, the United Nations, European Union and United States over the police response to protests. The Temblores NGO says state agents "murdered" 43 people. President Duque has so far acknowledged individual cases of police abuse but blames the violence mostly on armed groups, including FARC dissidents.
Death toll climbs in Israel-Gaza conflict amid UN deadlock Gaza City, Palestinian Territories (AFP) May 19, 2021 Deafening air strikes and rocket fire once more shook Gaza overnight and early Wednesday amid an international diplomatic push to broker a ceasefire after more than a week of bloodshed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's bombing of Gaza had set its Hamas Islamist rulers back "many years" since it began on May 10 in response to Hamas rocket fire. Warplanes hit Gaza City again in the pre-dawn hours, with the Israeli military continuing to target Palestinian militant leaders and infr ... read more
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