Four killed in Colombia as protests escalate
BOGOTA: Four people died in Colombia on Friday as tens of thousands of protesters marked a month of demonstrations across the country, while talks between the government and the national strike committee have stalled.
In Cali, which has become an epicentre of the nationwide protests, mayor Jorge Ospina confirmed three of the deaths. Local media reported the fourth death occurred on the road between Cali and the town of Candelaria.
Demonstrations elsewhere were mostly peaceful, although clashes between police and protesters were reported in some areas, such as the municipality of Madrid, near Bogota.
“There must be dialogue between those calling for strikes, the national government, and the whole of society. If there are no talks, the spiral of violence will continue and unfortunately more people could die,” Ospina said.
The government has so far confirmed 17 civilian deaths as directly connected with protests, while human rights groups claim dozens more civilians have been killed by security forces. Two police officers were
also earlier reported killed during the protests.
Demonstrations began on April 28, pressuring the government and lawmakers into shelving tax and health reforms and leading to the resignation of former finance minister Alberto Carrasquilla.
US secretary of state Antony
Blinken met Colombia’s vicepresident Marta Lucia Ramirez in Washington on Friday. Blinken “expressed his concern and condolences for the loss of life during recent protests in Colombia and reiterated the unquestionable right of citizens to protest peacefully”, according to spokesman Ned Price.