Stolen Colombian weapons and ammo may have ended up in hands of Haiti gangs

Some of the weapons and ammunition recently discovered stolen from two Colombian military bases might have ended up in the hands of armed gangs in Haiti, according to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who warned that arms smugglers have created alliances with corrupt members of his country’s military.

While describing the theft of the weaponry as a grave issue, Petro also warned that part of the military supplies could have ended up in the hands of Colombian guerrillas and other local armed groups. Besides ammunition, the missing supplies include explosives, hand grenades and anti-tank missiles.

The weapons were “destined for third parties such as armed irregular groups in Colombia... and probably for groups involved in foreign conflicts, the closest being Haiti,” Petro said on Tuesday from the presidential palace in Bogota.

“More than a million rounds of ammunition have been lost,” he said, as well as “explosives, grenades and weapons such as missiles” from the military bases at Tolemaida, 75 miles southwest of Bogota, and La Guajira, near the northern border with Venezuela. “There have been networks made up of people from the military and civilian forces dedicated to a massive arms trade for a long time,” the president added.

The missing equipment was detected amid reports that foreign smugglers have been supplying weapons to Haitian gangs, feeding the growing spiral of armed violence gripping the country. Amid a two-month-long insurgency by armed groups in Haiti, gangs have seem to have an endless supply of ammunition, raising questions

The City Commission will vote May 9 to authorize the city manager to enter into the settlement agreement, which includes the new map and also stipulates that the city will pay the plaintiffs nearly $1.6 million in attorneys’ fees. The settlement would not require the city to make any “admission of liability.”

The new district boundaries will become effective seven days after the settlement is approved by the court. Commissioners currently serving the city would retain their office through the end of their term regardless of the redrawn district boundaries.

The agreement further stipulates that at the time of the next municipal election in 2025, residents will also vote on a charter change that establishes a “Citizens Redistricting Committee.” According to the ACLU, the charter amendment will also ban “gerrymandering that favors particular candidates and incumbents.”