Thursday Feb 23, 2024 - Colombia - New phase of conflict, Working together with Estonia, Cattles are to blame not cocaine

These are some of the Trending news in Colombia on Thursday February 23rd, 2023.

In Colombia, recent violence has impeded efforts to de-mine the country, putting rural populations at risk. Armed groups have scattered thousands of explosive devices across rural areas over the last six decades of conflict. The conflict has entered a new phase as armed groups have proliferated, and reports suggest that more landmines are being sown into Colombia's soil, putting civilian populations increasingly at risk. Colombia had hoped to destroy all mines by December 2025, and the country has made significant progress, but the deadline is likely to pass without the country achieving its goal, said Pablo Parra, director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Colombia.

Colombia's Ambassador Assad Jater presented his credentials to the Estonian Head of State in Tallinn on February 21, 2023. After the ceremony, the Ambassador met with President Alar Karis to discuss Colombia's foreign policy priorities and interest in promoting bilateral relations. The countries hope to work together on e-governance, cybersecurity, trade, and investment issues.

According to a recent study, cattle-ranching, not cocaine, has been the main cause of the destruction of the Colombian Amazon over the past four decades. In 2018, the amount of forest cleared to cultivate coca, the base ingredient of cocaine, was only 1/60th of that used for cattle. The study’s findings vindicate conservation experts who have argued that Colombia’s strategy to conserve the Amazon by focusing on combating coca production has been misplaced. Deforestation spiked after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016, and land-grabbers took advantage, clearing trees with chainsaws and burning vast areas. While President Duque used coca cultivation to justify stepping up military action against coca farmers, the impact of cattle ranching on deforestation was much greater.

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