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Al Jazeera
12 hours ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Aiming a blow at narcos, Colombia pays farmers to uproot coca
As cocaine production reaches an unprecedented high, Colombia's government is trialling a more peaceful remedy to its enduring narcotics crisis – offering payments to farmers to uproot coca crops, the primary ingredient in the drug. Alirio Caicedo and his son Nicolas are among the latest beneficiaries. A decade ago, they planted their fields with coca, staking their livelihoods on the persistent demand from criminal gangs. Now, the Caicedos are digging up those same crops, uncertain of what the future holds. They are joined by about 4,000 other Colombian families who have entered into agreements with the government to replace coca with cocoa and coffee. The initiative forms part of a $14.4m effort aimed at reducing the supply of a substance blamed for inflicting immeasurable misery on the country. Colombia's rural communities are often coerced by armed groups into cultivating coca, with forests cleared to make way for the illicit crop. Authorities are aiming to eradicate coca on 45,000 hectares (111,000 acres) in three of Colombia's most conflict-ridden regions, including the southwestern Micay Canyon. For farmers like the Caicedos, the transition is fraught with risk. There is no guarantee their new crops will thrive, nor that guerrillas and other armed groups – whose revenues are tied to cocaine – will leave them in peace. With coca, the Caicedos say they could count on earning approximately $800 a month. Under the new scheme, they have received an initial payment of about $300 to begin cultivating coffee, with more in the pipeline. Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, assumed office in 2022 with a pledge to shift his country away from the United States-led 'war on drugs' – a campaign widely blamed for the double victimisation of rural Colombians living under the shadow of violence. Since then, cocaine production in Colombia – the world's largest exporter – has soared to record levels, driven by sustained demand in Europe and the US. Previous attempts at crop substitution have failed, often undermined by the disruptive actions of armed groups and the eventual drying up of government support. Gloria Miranda, who heads Colombia's illegal crop substitution programme, cautioned that it would be naive to believe the new initiative could end drug trafficking 'as long as there is a market of 20 million consumers and it (cocaine) remains illegal'. President Petro, in his pursuit of 'total peace', has prioritised negotiation with armed groups over military confrontation, rolling back forced coca eradication. However, most talks have faltered, and the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January has intensified pressure on Bogota. The Trump administration is reassessing Colombia's status as a partner in the anti-drug campaign, threatening to curtail millions of dollars in military aid. Given the high stakes, observers are concerned the crop replacement scheme may be exploited. Some farmers may 'try to deceive' by accepting state funds while continuing to cultivate coca, warned Argelia's government secretary, Pablo Daza. Without rigorous oversight, 'the chances are quite high that we are wasting money,' said Emilio Archila, who oversaw a similar, ultimately unsuccessful, programme under former President Ivan Duque. Miranda insists that 'meticulous' satellite monitoring will ensure compliance, promising that anyone found in breach will be expelled from the programme. While coca is best known as the raw material for cocaine, its leaves are chewed as a stimulant in Andean cultures and brewed as a tea believed to alleviate altitude sickness. Colombia has repeatedly called for coca leaf to be removed from the United Nations list of harmful narcotics in order to license its use in alternative products, such as fertilisers or beverages – appeals which, for now, remain unanswered.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- CBS News
6 bystanders killed in crossfire of armed clashes near resort city of Acapulco
Clashes between two armed groups left six civilians dead near Mexico's crime-plagued beachside city of Acapulco, authorities said Tuesday. The violence erupted on Monday night in a town called Kilometro 30 located on a highway to Mexico City, the Guerrero state prosecutor's office said in a statement. The victims were five men and an elderly woman who were caught in the crossfire, said municipal commissioner Adan Casarrubias. Three people were injured. Soldiers and police found weapons in an armored vehicle in the town, where several cars were set ablaze. Armed men in at least three vehicles were involved in the confrontation, which terrified residents, Casarrubias said. "Even if it's with pans, sticks, or whatever, we're going to fight for our town," he said. Officials said a long-barreled weapon, magazines, cartridges, seven vehicles (including an armored truck), tire-puncturing weapons and five improvised explosive devices were seized during the investigation. Once-thriving beach resort now blighted by violence In its heyday in the 1950s and 60s, Acapulco was a playground of the rich and famous. Today the city once known as "the pearl of the Pacific" is engulfed by violence linked to drug cartels. On Thursday, the administrator of a Facebook news page was gunned down in Acapulco. Lst December, a judge was shot dead in his car outside an Acapulco courthouse. In May 2024, 10 bodies were found scattered around the city. A month before that, the head of traffic police was shot to death when assailants opened fire on him on a street relatively far away from the resort's beaches. In February 2024, two men were found dead on a popular beach in Acapulco, and prosecutors said the men's bodies bore "signs of torture around the neck." That same month, three people were shot dead on beaches in Acapulco, one by gunmen who arrived -- and escaped -- aboard a boat. Acapulco is part of the state of Guerrero, one of the worst affected by drug trafficking in the country. It is among six states in Mexico that the U.S. State Department advises Americans to completely avoid, citing crime and violence.
Asharq Al-Awsat
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria Sets Deadline for ‘Small Groups' to Join Defense Ministry
Syria's defense minister has called on small armed groups that have yet to merge with the security apparatus to do so within 10 days or face unspecified measures, in a bid to consolidate state authority six months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled. A plethora of weapons outside government control has posed a challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to establish control, as groups that both back him and oppose him remain armed. Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, in a statement late on Saturday, said "military units" had now been integrated into "a unified institutional framework", calling this a great achievement. "We stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, in order to complete the efforts of unification and organization," he said. He did not say which factions he was talking about. The statement did not seem aimed at the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a large Kurdish-led force in the northeast that signed an agreement with Sharaa earlier this year aimed at integration with state institutions. Damascus received a big diplomatic boost last week when US President Donald Trump met Sharaa and announced sanctions on Syria would be lifted. Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab has said the decision would support efforts "to consolidate security and stability and promote civil peace in Syria and the region". Armed opposition groups, like Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, fought Assad during the war agreed in December to dissolve into the Defense Ministry. Syria has faced several outbreaks of violence this year. In March, gunmen killed hundreds of members of the Alawite minority in revenge killings prompted by what the government described as deadly attacks by Assad-loyalists on its forces in the coastal region. The Syrian authorities conducted raids on Saturday targeting ISIS cells in Aleppo.
The National
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Syria's remaining armed rebel groups given 10 days to join state forces
Armed groups in Syria who have not joined state ranks have been given 10 days to do so by Defence Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra or face 'appropriate measures', as the government pushes for unity. Mr Abu Qasra said on Saturday that all the major armed factions had been integrated into the Defence Ministry, but he urged remaining smaller groups to fall in line. 'We stress the necessity for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, in order to complete the unification and organisation efforts,' said a statement carried by state news agency Sana. 'Any delay in this regard will require appropriate measures in accordance with the laws in force.' The statement did not identify which groups had still not submitted to state authority or say what action would be taken against those failing to do so. 'We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the commanders and soldiers of the military units for their fruitful co-operation and high commitment,' it said. Syria's new government under President Ahmad Al Shara is attempting to integrate the armed groups following 13 years of civil war and fragmentation during the rule of former president Bashar Al Assad, who was toppled by rebels led by Mr Al Shara last year. Factions that agreed to dissolve have been integrated into the defence ministry, while the government has launched a recruitment drive for a new army and security forces. Armed groups from Deraa in the south, as well as Turkey-backed factions in the north and Islamist groups, are among those to have joined the ministry. In March, the new government struck a deal with Kurdish-led forces in the north-east to integrate their civil and military institutions into the central authorities. The agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces is yet to be implemented. Many of the armed groups have kept their weapons and remain deployed in areas they previously controlled. Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the rebel umbrella group formerly led by Mr Al Shara in ousting Mr Al Assad, remains the dominant armed force, along Islamist groups aligned with it, especially in their original stronghold of Idlib in the north-west and in Damascus. Previously known as Al Nusra Front, it maintained links with Al Qaeda until 2016. Several western states still label Hayat Tahrir as a terrorist organisation. Mr Al Shara is seeking national unity while also attempting to ensure protection for minorities, which has been a key demand from foreign powers alongside their pledges to support Syria's postwar recovery. The Syrian economy is in tatters and in need of international funding for reconstruction. Last week, US President Donald Trump said he would be lifting sanctions that were imposed on Syria during the Assad era, in a major boost for Mr Al Shara. The announcement followed a meeting between the two men during a tour of the Gulf by Mr Trump.
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Washington Post
PHOTO ESSAY: Congo coltan miners dig for world's tech — and struggle regardless of who is in charge
RUBAYA, Congo — Nestled in the green hills of Masisi territory in Congo, at the artisanal Rubaya mining site, hundreds of men labor by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for producing modern electronics and defense technology. Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and various armed groups.
