The bill proposed by President Duque was advertised by the government as an effort to finance social spending to combat the negative effects of the pandemic, but critics believed the administration to be putting the concerns of foreign creditors over the needs of the poorest Colombians. Almost 25 million Colombians nearly half of the country’s population are living in poverty, according to government numbers.The unemployment rate has almost doubled compared to pre-pandemic figures.
At a roadblock last week, Torres described putting her dreams on hold during the pandemic. She lost a part-time job that paid for her college classes and had to postpone a semester of school. Thousands of Colombians have been forced out of college in the past year, threatening the aspirations of many who see education as the only way out of poverty.
In Colombia, a country still reeling from six decades of civil war and battling ongoing spurts of violence, fears have been raised of a creeping militarization as police and soldiers have forcefully clamped down on recent protests. Colombia's human rights ombudsman says 19 people 18 of them civilians have been killed and more than 800 injured in clashes with uniformed officers deployed as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets.
Fears of militarization as Colombian troops deployed
AFP, BOGOTA
In Colombia, a country still reeling from six decades of civil war and battling ongoing spurts of violence, fears have been raised of a creeping militarization as police and soldiers have forcefully clamped down on protests.
Colombia’s human rights ombudsman said that 19 people 18 of them civilians had been killed and more than 800 injured in clashes with uniformed officers deployed as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in anti-government rallies.
With the backing of the army commander, President Ivan Duque on Saturday said that he would use “military assistance” to combat “those who through violence, vandalism and terrorism seek to intimidate society.”