Key points
- UN extends Colombia mission for another year
- US critical of Colombia’s peace process
- UN condemns US strikes on Caribbean vessels
UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN Security Council voted to reduce its peacekeeping obligations in Colombia under pressure from the United States, which has denounced President Gustavo Petro’s policies.
In a resolution adopted with 12 votes in favor and two abstentions – the US and Russia – the UN will extend its mission for another year in Colombia, but reduce provisions related to the protection of ethnic minorities there, reports AFP.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz praised the reduction efforts, but stopped short of endorsing the resolution.
“The United States still has significant reservations about Colombia’s peace process, including the worsening of the security situation and the risk of impunity for terrorists and drug traffickers,” Waltz said.
Halting strikes
Created in the wake of a truce between rebel faction FARC and the government of then-president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Juan Manuel Santos, the UN’s mission oversees the implementation of their peace agreement, which called for the disarmament of thousands of guerrillas.
Earlier Friday, the UN urged the US to halt strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, where at least 62 have been killed in strikes on boats Washington alleges are being used for drug trafficking.
“The UN repeats what I have said: the attacks in the Caribbean violate international humanitarian law,” Petro wrote on X.
