As in the Mexican case, the tens of thousands of missing persons left behind by Colombia's internal conflicts and organized crime have led their relatives—mainly their mothers or women in general—to exercise the sad and emerging profession of “searchers,” in the face of the State's inability to fulfill its missions on this critical front. An Amnesty International report reviewed by EFE puts the spotlight on the vulnerability of these “searcher mothers” in Colombia, victims of stigmatization, physical violence, and other practices that extort their dignity. A law—a pioneer in the region—passed in the middle of the year seeks to recognize somehow and protect these women, who, although aware that they will only potentially find the corpses of their loved ones, will at least have the comfort of a last goodbye and a place to worship them.
“If the [law] is implemented correctly, it has the potential to contribute to settling the historical debt that the Colombian state owes to women searchers,” says the above-referred NGO. At the same time, its director for the Americas calls for its regional replication. A UN inspection that ended this Thursday in Colombia warns that forced disappearances are not a matter of the past, but an active problem with daily manifestations taking the form of forced recruitment of minors by the guerrillas, cases of human trafficking, or the kidnapping of social leaders, among others. There is no clarity on the universe of missing persons, which could even be in the region of 200,000 in the worst estimates. Furthermore, there are not enough resources to process the bodies and remains that have been found scattered throughout Colombia—in common vaults, rivers, or illegal crematoriums—that remain unidentified by the thousands.
SourceParaguay maintains its historic position of recognizing Taiwan
The Paraguayan Foreign Ministry on Thursday expelled a top Chinese diplomatic envoy who caused anger after making a controversial call in national Congress—where his presence was not planned—to break with Taiwan in favor of Beijing. Paraguay is one of the 12 countries that remain stoic resisting the Chinese diplomatic offensive, which imposes to take a position in the historic conflict, without half measures. Indeed, it is the only country remaining on this list belonging to South America. “It is either China or Taiwan [...] I recommend that the government of Paraguay make a correct decision as soon as possible”, said the senior Chinese diplomatic envoy in Asunción. Although the Paraguayan government strongly defends the historical support for Taiwan, the social assessment of this issue is not homogeneous, especially because the humongous Chinese market is too attractive for soybean and beef producers.
"O CHINA CONTINENTAL O CHINA TAIWAN"
— Agenda Paraguay (@agparaguay) December 4, 2024
El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores para Latinoamerica, de China Continental visitó a legisladores paraguayos e instó al Ejecutivo a optar por establecer relaciones diplomáticas y comerciales con China Continental, pero bajo la condición de… pic.twitter.com/wEekcEZBIp
Mexico seeks Trump agreement to avoid receiving non-Mexican deportees
A follow-up on Trump-sourced, tariffs-based discussion. It is all Mexico here 👇
Global companies likely to be affected by Trump's promised tariffs https://t.co/GCbp8U1arF pic.twitter.com/n9Tp5iI0J5
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 5, 2024
And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.
