- During a press conference on Tuesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro blamed the disappearance of millions of rounds of ammunition, thousands of grenades, and numerous missiles on internal corruption within the country's military. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- The missing items came to light during a surprise inspection at two military bases, Tolemaida and La Guajira, between Feb. 12 and April 1. According to Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, the probe was still underway. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Petro said he suspected that either Colombian rebels or groups like Haitian gangs had illegally purchased the ammunition. He stated that networks of individuals within the armed forces engaged in the illicit arms trade would be the only plausible explanation. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Over 808K rounds of ammunition and approximately 10K grenades are reportedly missing from the Tolemaida base stockpile. Over 9K grenades and 4.2M rounds are lost from the La Guajira base. Two Spike missiles, 37 Nimrod missiles, and 550 rocket-propelled grenades are also missing. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Since taking office in 2022, Petro, the country's first left-wing president, has held peace talks with some of the country's remaining rebel factions, although conflict has escalated in some regions. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Judges have found Colombia's security services guilty of corruption and human rights abuses. Officials have been demoted. Sixty years of internal conflict have left 450K Colombians dead. AOL
Narrative A:
- Corruption is a sickness that has crept across Colombia's military. Some military officers sell state property to international arms traffickers for personal gain, thus fueling the illegal weapons market. This is equipment that, in the wrong hands, may harm and kill Colombian troops or decimate countries like Haiti. Inspections will continue until the entire extent of this criminal conduct is identified and shut down.
BBC NEWS (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Narrative B:
- Petro is a controversial president, a leftist, and a former member of the M-19 rebel organization. It's ironic he discusses military corruption when several members of his family have either been indicted — like his son or will be charged shortly, like his brother, for accepting payments from drug traffickers in exchange for judicial privileges from the Petro administration. Halfway through his four-year term, President Petro has some convincing to do to persuade Colombia's citizens that he can restore peace.
NPR ONLINE NEWS (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Nerd narrative:
- There is a 10% chance there will be a civil war in Colombia before 2036, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)