In #Colombia's high stakes presidential run-off, candidates views on how to contain conflict are divided between dialogue and crackdown Some combination of military pressure, dialogue, &social reforms could prove best path forward, I told @DeutscheWelle www.dw.com/en/colombia-...

Colombia: What to know as presidential vote heads to runoff

After a campaign overshadowed by violence, Colombia's presidential election is heading for a runoff between left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda and far-right millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella.

dw.com

USG just unsealed major indictment against Sinaloa gov Rubén Rocha + 8 current/former officials, charged with drug trafficking & weapons offenses. DOJ alleges Los Chapitos, one of Sinaloa Cartel’s main factions, would have helped Rocha win office in exchange for protection. Rocha denied everything.

Este fin de semana, Colombia enfrentó múltiples ataques violentos en Cauca, Valle del Cauca y Nariño, cometidos presuntamente por el grupo armado conocido como Estado Mayor Central (EMC). @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social escribió hace algunos meses sobre por qué este grupo utiliza ese tipo de ataques.

Los cuatro frentes de batalla del Estado Mayor Central

Los recientes ataques terroristas a lo largo del país evidencian la desesperada situación en la que se encuentra este grupo armado sin opciones para negociar.

lasillavacia.com

#Colombia Ante la presión militar, el grupo armado conocido como Estado Mayor Central (EMC) ha optado por atacar estaciones de policía y bases militares de forma asimétrica, con armamento que no permite realizar ataques precisos. ✍️ @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social

Los cuatro frentes de batalla del Estado Mayor Central

Los recientes ataques terroristas a lo largo del país evidencian la desesperada situación en la que se encuentra este grupo armado sin opciones para negociar.

lasillavacia.com

Presidential election campaigns in Colombia have showcased starkly different visions for how to tackle the country’s burgeoning internal conflict. Our latest @crisisgroup.org alert, charting out the risks and opportunities ahead www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/latin-am...

Colombia’s Polls Mark a Forking Path in Peace Talks | International Crisis Group

With a presidential vote approaching, prospects for continued dialogue with armed groups to curb Colombia’s conflict are uncertain. In this excerpt from the Watch List 2026 – Spring Edition, Crisis Gr...

crisisgroup.org

LIVE NOW 🔽 Join @crisisgroup.org's @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social for a panel discussion on violence, policing and armed actors in Venezuela. Register here: ilas.columbia.edu/events/venez...

Ahead of International Women's Day tomorrow, @comfortero.crisisgroup.org shares her picks from our work at @crisisgroup.org reminding us that, even when it is less visible, women and children often bear the brunt of conflict. www.crisisgroup.org/sco/global/c...

Comfort Ero’s 2026 Top Picks on Gender and Conflict | International Crisis Group

For International Women’s Day, Crisis Group President and CEO Comfort Ero shares a list of her top ten Crisis Group publications, op-eds, interviews and podcasts from the last year, exploring how conf...

crisisgroup.org

The US has taken control of Venezuela's oil production and now covets vast critical mineral wealth. Today, many of these mines are in the hands of armed groups, in complicity of local security forces. @CrisisGroup.org explains the conflict risks ahead 👇 www.crisisgroup.org/qna/latin-am...

U.S. Snaps up Venezuela’s Oil and Rare Minerals in Race for Supplies | International Crisis Group

Even before the price of oil spiked, the Trump administration was eyeing Venezuela’s natural resources. There is now more urgency to getting access to petroleum and critical minerals. In this Q&A, Cri...

crisisgroup.org

Hoy en día es imposible hablar de la naturaleza del conflicto armado en Colombia sin comprender que hay niños y niñas que se ven obligados a participar en todas sus facetas. 🧵de @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social sobre nuestro nuevo informe acerca del reclutamiento infantil.

Elizabeth Dickinson@dickinsonbeth.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Today in Colombia, it is impossible to talk about the nature of armed conflict without understanding that there are children being forced to participate in every part of it 🧵on our new @crisisgroup.org report & how generalized child recruitment has become www.crisisgroup.org/brf/latin-am...

Para reclutar niños y niñas, los grupos armados y criminales se han vuelto expertos en tejer mitos en torno a sus operaciones. Los niños, atraídos por dinero fácil; las niñas, por la ilusión de escapar violencia doméstica. Así se nos explicó un niño👇 www.crisisgroup.org/es/brf/latin...

Today in Colombia, it is impossible to talk about the nature of armed conflict without understanding that there are children being forced to participate in every part of it 🧵on our new @crisisgroup.org report & how generalized child recruitment has become www.crisisgroup.org/brf/latin-am...

Kids on the Front Lines: Stopping Child Recruitment in Colombia | International Crisis Group

Colombia’s armed and criminal groups have recruited hundreds of children into their ranks, inflicting enormous harm on minors, their families and communities. The government and international partners...

crisisgroup.org

"Cada niño que protegemos de ser reclutado es un paso hacia el debilitamiento de un conflicto cuyo costo lo paga la población más vulnerable." ✍️ @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social en @elpaisamerica.bsky.social

Colombia está perdiendo a sus niños en la guerra

El uso de niños combatientes es tanto una consecuencia de la evolución del conflicto como un factor que acelera esas dinámicas

elpais.com

Hoy no se puede hablar de la naturaleza del conflicto armado en #Colombia sin reconocer que hay niños y niñas obligados a participar en todas sus dimensiones. Hoy, escribo en @elpaisamerica.bsky.social sobre el reclutamiento de menores @latam.crisisgroup.org elpais.com/america-colo...

Colombia está perdiendo a sus niños en la guerra

El uso de niños combatientes es tanto una consecuencia de la evolución del conflicto como un factor que acelera esas dinámicas

elpais.com

#Colombia's Armed groups systematically recruit children, who they force to fill the most dangerous roles. In our @crisisgroup.org report, we document how these criminal recruitment networks lure children from home and sell them to the highest armed bidders www.crisisgroup.org/brf/latin-am...

Kids on the Front Lines: Stopping Child Recruitment in Colombia | International Crisis Group

Colombia’s armed and criminal groups have recruited hundreds of children into their ranks, inflicting enormous harm on minors, their families and communities. The government and international partners...

crisisgroup.org

Violence in Sinaloa hasn’t stopped. In just two weeks: mass kidnappings and overtly political attacks. The MX gov says Chapitos were behind them. On the abduction of 10 miners (at least 5 killed), Sec. Harfuch said it was a case of mistaken identity, Chapitos allegedly thought they were with Mayos.

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken. Hundreds of kids are still detained. We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

This Thursday, our latest from @crisisgroup.org

I started working on child recruitment in #Colombia by accident, because everywhere I went, the conflict was being reshaped by armed groups' dependence on minors to control territory and silence the communities left behind. We publish our @crisisgroup.org findings on 12 February

In its latest show of gunboat diplomacy, the US has deployed a guided-missile destroyer to the coast of Haiti just days before the transitional gov's mandate expires. What is behind the new pressure? My @CrisisGroup colleague @diego_darin explains 👇 www.crisisgroup.org/anb/latin-am...

U.S. Gunboats Patrol Haiti’s Waters amid Wrangling over a New Government | International Crisis Group

Crisis Group expert Diego Da Rin assesses the political deadlock in Haiti and the motives behind the deployment of U.S. naval vessels off Port-au-Prince

crisisgroup.org

🇺🇸🇨🇴 “Petro and Trump have each found a perfect sparring partner” On Tuesday’s #Spotlight, @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social breaks down #Petro-#Trump tensions ahead of White House visit.

#Entrevista 🎥 La investigadora @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social explica por qué reconocer este fracaso es clave para pensar alternativas desde los territorios más afectados. 👉 Mira la entrevista completa: youtu.be/pz9R0IfqTvM #GuerraContraLasDrogas #PolíticaDeDrogas #Violencia

"Guerra contra las drogas": 50 años de una narrativa fallida

YouTube video by Rosalux Andina

youtu.be

#Entrevista 🎥 En este diálogo, la experta @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social de @crisisgroup.org sostiene que insistir en frenar la oferta de drogas es una estrategia fallida. Frente a ello, plantea que los Estados prioricen la protección integral y políticas sociales. Ver más 📲 f.mtr.cool/opwuazwteq

The ELN has is moving swiftly to guarantee its interest and survival in Venezuela, after US military operations in Caracas. We write in today's LatAm Advisor, future talks may follow the same logic: a means to survive politically under new Colombian gov tinyurl.com/2mc5mh7v

#Mexico transferred 37 prisoners to the US in a move to quell tensions, as Washington once again threatens strikes on drug trafficking groups Yet renditions to the US have tended to escalate violence in Mexico. My colleague @dmoravera.bsky.social explains 👇 www.crisisgroup.org/alr/latin-am...

Mexico Seeks to Placate White House with Mass Criminal Transfer | International Crisis Group

Crisis Group expert David Mora assesses the latest handover of convicts and criminal suspects amid threats of U.S. military action on Mexican soil.

crisisgroup.org

Sheinbaum just handed over 37 cartel suspects to U.S. custody. After the U.S. attack in Caracas, Mexico needs to deliver clear wins for Trump to further deter any U.S. unilateral military move. This is it. Some quick thoughts from Sinaloa, where I am doing fieldwork this week:

Antes de la captura de Maduro, el ELN estaba tomando medidas para garantizar la seguridad de sus intereses en las zonas fronterizas, independientemente de lo que ocurriera en Caracas. Mi columna @crisisgroup.org en @nytimeses.nytimes.com 👇 www.nytimes.com/es/2026/01/1...

Algo malo se gesta en la frontera de Venezuela

nytimes.com

"The ELN stands emboldened to challenge the authority of the Colombian state—and US ambitions in Venezuela... The ELN’s ranks are filled with skilled guerrilla fighters with deep expertise in improvised explosives..." @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social on blowback to Trump's imperial adventure in Venezuela:

Opinion | Something Bad Is Brewing on Venezuela’s Border

nytimes.com

✍️NEW OP-ED | Something Bad Is Brewing on Venezuela’s Border Colombian leaders have been bracing for the fallout of a U.S. attack against Caracas, fearing violent escalation by armed groups. Those fears seem to be materialising, writes @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social. www.crisisgroup.org/latin-americ...

Something Bad Is Brewing on Venezuela’s Border | International Crisis Group

crisisgroup.org

Colombia spent months contingency planning for a US strike on Venezuela, fearing it could unleash armed group backlash, a humanitarian crisis, or both. Today along the border, the rapid consolidation of the ELN demonstrates the risk in real time 👇🕊️ www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...

Opinion | Something Bad Is Brewing on Venezuela’s Border

nytimes.com

"In advance of Mr. Maduro’s capture, the E.L.N. was taking steps to ensure its interests in the borderlands were safe, regardless of what happened in Caracas. Since mid-December, it has gone on the offensive in the Colombian region of Catatumbo". ✍️ @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social in @nytimes.com

Opinion | Something Bad Is Brewing on Venezuela’s Border

nytimes.com