"Here you obey and shut up," says Jose, a resident of Colombia's northern Bolivar department where forgotten communities eke out a terrified existence under the yoke of armed groups fighting over access to rich gold deposits.Of Colombia's 32 departments, Bolivar is the third-worst affected by crimes committed by parties to the decades-old conflict, with nearly 700,000 victims direct or indirect, according to an official report in June.
The Venezuelan president rejected 150 years of “abuses by the British empire, now by ExxonMobil and the US Southern Command” concerning the territorial dispute.
This Week-in-Review November 5th to November 11th stabroeknews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stabroeknews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
For a country that has endured an authoritarian government and a long-standing political crisis, each opportunity for a peaceful and democratic solution is valuable and should be carefully considered. The presidential election of 2024, as well as the regional, local and legislative elections of 2025, are important opportunities for the transformation of the current situation in Venezuela. The head of the electoral branch of government (yes, Venezuela has an electoral branch of government), is the National Electoral Council or CNE. The CNE is responsible for overseeing elections and upholding the Constitution in these proceedings.