CAJIBIO, Colombia – From a birds-eye view, greenery expands far into the tropical Andean horizon in Colombia’s department of Cauca, easily confused with a sprawling native forest. However, for the Indigenous Misak communities and farmers living in the region, they know that this is far from a native forest – it is a tree plantation […]
Editor s note: This story includes details some readers may find disturbing.
At a shelter for Venezuelan migrants in the Colombian border town of Villa del Rosario, Alondra Castillo pulls back her blouse to reveal black-and-blue welts on her arms and shoulders.
Castillo, 23, explains that she and about 80 other Venezuelans were crossing into Colombia last month on a clandestine trail controlled by drug smugglers. But it was night, and she and her 2-year-old son became separated from the group.
• Apr 3, 2020
Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America but it is dealing with one of the region s worst outbreaks of COVID-19, with more than 3,100 identified infections and 120 deaths.
The epicenter of the country s outbreak is the Pacific port city of Guayaquil, where bodies are lying in the streets.
Guayaquil has registered about half of all Ecuador s coronavirus cases and patients have overwhelmed the city s hospitals. In addition, a nationwide curfew and bureaucratic red tape have hindered the work of undertakers.