Miguel Uribe: Slain Colombian politician with a tragic past - International
Uribe's life was forever changed at the age of four when his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in a botched police operation in January 1991 to free her from cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel.
Turbay, 40, was snatched on her way to what she had been falsely led to believe would be an exclusive TV interview with a guerrilla commander.
Instead, she became a pawn in the terror campaign Escobar launched to try to stop the extradition of drug traffickers such as himself to the United States.
Nearly five months after she was taken, Turbay was critically wounded in the gunfight that broke out when police stormed the kidnappers' lair.
Robbed of their mother, Uribe and his older sister Maria Carolina grew up in a prominent family as the grandchildren of former president Julio Cesar Turbay (1978 to 1982).
Moments before a teen gunman opened fire at close range on June 7, shooting him in the head and leg, Uribe had been reminiscing about his mother and described himself as someone who had experienced violence "in the flesh."
As a child, he was a chess fanatic with dreams of becoming world champion. But he studied law instead, and obtained a master's degree in public administration at Harvard University.
Uribe was elected to Bogota's city council at age 26, later becoming its youngest-ever chairperson and then the mayor's right-hand man.
In 2019, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Bogota, but three years later, he was elected a senator -- receiving the most votes of any candidate in the country.
He took a seat for the conservative Democratic Center party, with which he had been hoping to go all the way to Colombia's presidency.
But on June 7, as he addressed a political rally in Bogota, Uribe was shot at close range three times -- twice in the head -- allegedly by a 15-year-old who was hired for the job.
After two months in intensive care and signs of progress, doctors said Saturday that he had suffered a new brain haemorrhage.
His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, with whom he had a son, announced two days later that Uribe had died.
Forgiveness
Uribe's shooting has shocked a nation trying to extricate itself from decades of violence perpetrated by armed groups, who compete over illegal mining and the drug trafficking trade, fighting each other and the state.
Four presidential candidates were assassinated during the worst phase of violence in the 1980s and 1990s under Escobar, who terrorized citizens of Bogota, Medellin and elsewhere with a campaign of bombings.
In a 2021 interview with Bocas magazine, Uribe said he had forgiven those responsible for the kidnapping of his mother, who wrote in a diary during her captivity that she was worried about the future of little "Miguelito."
"Reconciliation is the only thing that helps one ... overcome such a difficult moment," he told the publication.
"I understood that ... nothing I did would bring my mom back, and that forgiving, on the other hand, would enrich me as a person and allow me to live without burden."
'Hope of the country'
Former president Alvaro Uribe -- founder of the Democratic Center party and unrelated to the assassinated senator -- said on X the attacker had sought to extinguish a "hope of the country."
During his political career, the younger Uribe had made security a key campaign issue.
His mother's death forged in him "a firm conviction to fight against violence and narco-terrorism," according to his website.
Despite not being able to fulfil his chess ambitions, he founded an organisation to bring the sport to underprivileged young people "as a tool for personal and social development."
He also played the guitar and accordion, and liked to sing.
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Miguel Uribe: Slain Colombian politician with a tragic past - International
Three decades after his mother was fatally shot while being held by kidnappers, Colombian senator Miguel Uribe's assassination reopens old wounds for a family, and a country, traumatized by political and narco violence. Uribe's life was forever changed at the age of four when his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in a botched police operation in January 1991 to free her from cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel. Turbay, 40, was snatched on her way to what she had been falsely led to believe would be an exclusive TV interview with a guerrilla commander. Instead, she became a pawn in the terror campaign Escobar launched to try to stop the extradition of drug traffickers such as himself to the United States. Nearly five months after she was taken, Turbay was critically wounded in the gunfight that broke out when police stormed the kidnappers' lair. Robbed of their mother, Uribe and his older sister Maria Carolina grew up in a prominent family as the grandchildren of former president Julio Cesar Turbay (1978 to 1982). Moments before a teen gunman opened fire at close range on June 7, shooting him in the head and leg, Uribe had been reminiscing about his mother and described himself as someone who had experienced violence "in the flesh." As a child, he was a chess fanatic with dreams of becoming world champion. But he studied law instead, and obtained a master's degree in public administration at Harvard University. Uribe was elected to Bogota's city council at age 26, later becoming its youngest-ever chairperson and then the mayor's right-hand man. In 2019, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Bogota, but three years later, he was elected a senator -- receiving the most votes of any candidate in the country. He took a seat for the conservative Democratic Center party, with which he had been hoping to go all the way to Colombia's presidency. But on June 7, as he addressed a political rally in Bogota, Uribe was shot at close range three times -- twice in the head -- allegedly by a 15-year-old who was hired for the job. After two months in intensive care and signs of progress, doctors said Saturday that he had suffered a new brain haemorrhage. His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, with whom he had a son, announced two days later that Uribe had died. Forgiveness Uribe's shooting has shocked a nation trying to extricate itself from decades of violence perpetrated by armed groups, who compete over illegal mining and the drug trafficking trade, fighting each other and the state. Four presidential candidates were assassinated during the worst phase of violence in the 1980s and 1990s under Escobar, who terrorized citizens of Bogota, Medellin and elsewhere with a campaign of bombings. In a 2021 interview with Bocas magazine, Uribe said he had forgiven those responsible for the kidnapping of his mother, who wrote in a diary during her captivity that she was worried about the future of little "Miguelito." "Reconciliation is the only thing that helps one ... overcome such a difficult moment," he told the publication. "I understood that ... nothing I did would bring my mom back, and that forgiving, on the other hand, would enrich me as a person and allow me to live without burden." 'Hope of the country' Former president Alvaro Uribe -- founder of the Democratic Center party and unrelated to the assassinated senator -- said on X the attacker had sought to extinguish a "hope of the country." During his political career, the younger Uribe had made security a key campaign issue. His mother's death forged in him "a firm conviction to fight against violence and narco-terrorism," according to his website. Despite not being able to fulfil his chess ambitions, he founded an organisation to bring the sport to underprivileged young people "as a tool for personal and social development." He also played the guitar and accordion, and liked to sing. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
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Sudan Nashra: Dozens die of hunger in Fasher under RSF siege PM Kamel Idris makes 1st foreign visit to Cairo for high-level talks Sudan's TV says UAE cargo plane with mercenaries destroyed in Nyala
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A close confidant of Bashir throughout his rule, Hussein was regarded as a central figure in the political and security apparatus of the Sudanese state for decades. Prime Minister Kamel Idris held high-level talks in Cairo on Thursday at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly, marking his first foreign visit since taking office in May. During the trip, Idris also met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who received him alongside Madbuly and delegations from both sides. Both Sisi and Madbuly reiterated Egypt's full support for the Sudanese government and its efforts to preserve Sudan's national institutions, condemning any threat to Sudan's unity and territorial integrity. The visit comes in the wake of the announcement of a parallel government in western Sudan by the RSF-led Tasis coalition in late July — a move that directly challenges the transitional government led by Idris and appointed by the Transitional Sovereignty Council. 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The prime ministers reiterated their commitment to coordination through the Permanent Joint Technical Commission for Nile Waters — the body mandated by the Sudan-Egypt 1959 agreement to shape unified policies on Nile-related matters. Both parties underscored the need to allow the commission's consultative framework the space to help resolve disputes. *** Egyptian authorities detained Mesbah Abu Zeid, commander of Sudan's Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade, which has been fighting alongside the military since the onset of the war. According to one of his relatives, Abu Zeid was arrested at his family's residence in Cairo and taken into custody on Monday night without explanation or charges. A senior official in the Transitional Sovereignty Council has been in contact with several Egyptian authorities and influential figures in Cairo to inquire about the circumstances of the arrest and push for Abu Zeid's release, urging a swift resolution to the matter, a source in the TSC told Mada Masr. The family member said that the arrest is not related to any political activity, noting that Abu Zeid entered Egypt on an official visa, which indicates, they argued, that authorities were aware of his identity and role as a leader of Islamist youth fighters aligned with the military. According to the TSC source, the arrest is linked to Abu Zeid's participation in an unauthorized religious gathering, an Islamic inshad session, which contravenes Egypt's residency regulations that prohibit public assemblies and political or union-related activities without prior approval. As such, his actions were considered in breach of Egypt's laws, the source said. Abu Zeid is considered one of the most prominent commanders of irregular forces aligned with the military. The Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade is estimated to number around 20,000 fighters primarily positioned in North Kordofan and western Khartoum, a military source told Mada Masr. The brigade is considered part of the military's reserve forces and operates under its command structure, rather than as an independent entity, the source added.
