The world is advancing at a dizzying pace and saying that a year is newsworthy may be redundant, since more and more things seem to happen in Colombia and abroad. 2011 leaves many things to tell.
The world is advancing at a dizzying pace and saying that a year is newsworthy may be redundant, since more and more things seem to happen in Colombia and abroad. However, 2011 leaves many things to tell.
Dejected Alfonso Cano. November 4, 2011 will be inscribed in Colombian history as the day on which the top commander of the FARC guerrilla, Guillermo León Sáenz Vargas, alias Alfonso Cano, was put to death. The operation took place in the department of Cauca, where the Military Forces and CTI agents confirmed the full identity of the man who replaced Pedro Antonio Marín, alias Tirofijo, in the FARC command in May 2008.
Education reform. The reform of Law 30 caused a massive mobilization of students throughout the country due to the general rejection caused by the proposals for the modification of higher education. Six weeks of strike were enough for the Government to announce the withdrawal of the project that was already pending in the Congress of the Republic.
Suspension of Samuel Moreno. The mayor of Bogotá, Samuel Moreno, was suspended as part of the investigation of the so-called contracting cartel. The Attorney General's Office sanctioned him with three months out of office for alleged omission in the exercise of his duties, a decision that was confirmed with an additional 12 months last November. Currently the mayor is detained by order of the Prosecutor's Office.
FTA with the United States. After a long period of waiting, the Government of Barack Obama managed to get the United States Congress to finally approve the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, which began talks during the first term of former President Álvaro Uribe. The trade agreement will strengthen Colombia's foreign trade and will allow a contribution to the economy close to one point of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Embezzlement from the State. The corruption cases that shook the country the most were the embezzlements from the DIAN and health. The scam against the DIAN exceeded one billion pesos, the network that defrauded the entity did so through the VAT refund. More than 10 people were captured, including former DIAN officials.
The theft of health occurred with false patients, false guardianships and influence to process recoveries. The Colombian health system is an artery through which billions of dollars circulate and the corrupt found weak points where they made holes to bleed it dry: it is estimated that the embezzlement of EPS, officials and contractors amounted to $4 billion.
Havoc of the 'La Niña' phenomenon. The rainy season affecting Colombia has left nearly 200 dead and has put Bogotá, a city in which floods have affected at least 50,000 people, in emergency. The victims in the capital represent almost 10% of the total population of the country that has suffered the rigors of events associated with the rains and which totals more than 800 thousand people.
Outraged. Once the mobilizations of hundreds of people meant the end of the Tunisian Government, the protest movement spread throughout the world. The so-called Indignados movement reached Egypt, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile, among other countries.
Colombian gold medals at the Pan American Games. In the Pan American Games that took place in Guadalajara (Mexico), the role played by the Colombian delegation brought satisfaction to the national sport. In total there were 84 medals: 24 gold, 25 silver and 35 bronze.
Massacre of kidnapped uniformed soldiers. After spending more than a decade in the hands of the FARC, Colonel Edgar Yesid Duarte, Lieutenant Elkin Hernández, Sergeant Libio Martínez and Police Lieutenant Álvaro Moreno were murdered by the guerrillas.
