Dozens have been pulled alive from the wreckage of a Colombian air force plane.
![Flames and thick black smoke rise from an Air Force Hercules that crashed during takeoff, as a member of the Colombian Police stands nearby, in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, near the southern border with Ecuador, on March 23, 2026. [Daniel Ortiz/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AFP__20260323__A4F99ZQ__v2__HighRes__TopshotColombiaAccidentDefence_croppedForVertical-1774316278.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![High-voltage power lines of Colombia's national public energy grid stretch over a roadway as motorcyclists cross a bridge, after Colombia announced it would suspend electricity sales to Ecuador. [FILE: Jair Coll/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-02-26T153031Z_1693651605_RC2WDJAIXO3M_RTRMADP_3_ECUADOR-COLOMBIA-TRADE-1772138089.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Colombia’s Muslims comprise less than 0.2 percent of the population in a country that is majority Catholic.
Petro said he had invited Rodriguez to meet in the border city of Cucuta to discuss energy cooperation.
Colombia’s largest criminal group paused talks after President Gustavo Petro pledged to target its leader Chiquito Malo.
Columbian President Gustavo Petro says he has escaped an assassination attempt while travelling by helicopter.
Gustavo Petro has been warning for months about an alleged plot by drug traffickers who want to target him.
The criminal group suspended talks in response to reports that the US and Colombia would target its leader for arrest.
Despite months of clashing over US military attacks and drug trafficking, the two leaders shared a ‘terrific’ meeting.
In January, the US removed Nicolas Maduro from power. But Venezuelans in exile say it is still too dangerous to return.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro will meet US President Donald Trump on February 3 amid tensions over drug trafficking.
